Final Fantasy 16 is in the "final stages of development."
The new comments come from veteran producer Naoki Yoshida, speaking to Japanese publication Famitsu earlier this week, and handily transcribed by fan @aitaikimochi on Twitter just below. Commenting as part of the 35th celebrations for the franchise, Yoshida says that Final Fantasy 16 is nearing completion, and is in the "final stages" of development."
Yoshida Naoki says that FF16 is already in the final stages of development, and he says the story is a very well fleshed out one.His comment was released in the Final Fantasy 35th Anniversary Uniqlo magazine. Here’s the full translation! pic.twitter.com/X23AFqOXfJApril 29, 2022
"I think it's a very fleshed out story," says the producer, pointing to Final Fantasy 16's lack of online play as focusing solely on the one player's experience. "FF16 is a game that can bring back the passion that you once had with the series," the producer continues, evidently hoping that 16 can bring back those who have drifted away from Final Fantasy over the years.
It's been a fair while since Final Fantasy 16 was first announced in mid-2020. With a promise that more information would be revealed in the Spring of 2021, Yoshida and company ultimately pushed back the subsequent reveal to Spring of this year. In fact, this isn't even the first time that Yoshida has made similar comments to what we're now hearing: Yoshida indicated in October 2021 that Final Fantasy 16 was nearly complete, having left basic development behind.
From Yoshida's comments, it sounds like it won't be long until we can finally see more of Final Fantasy 16. Right now, all we know about the game is what we saw back in September 2020: protagonist Clive is working to protect his younger brother Joshua along with their childhood friend Jill, and evade the mysterious power of the "crystals" that have long held sway over their lands. There's a lot we still don't know about Final Fantasy 16, hence why so many are desperate for any information.
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