Final Fantasy 16 was shown off in all of its glory at The Game Awards 2022, and a small disclaimer on the screen may have stirred confusion for the creators.
Following an annual Mahjong Tournament celebrating Final Fantasy XIV, series producer Naoki Yoshida gave the floor to fans with premium member-only status as an opportunity for an almost AMA-like sit down regarding the upcoming 16th entry in the storied JRPG franchise. His response may have been less than ideal for fans outside the PlayStation 5 ecosystem.
Back at The Game Awards 2022, Square Enix shined a light on the gameplay for their most anticipated title going into 2023, Final Fantasy 16. With this gameplay and cinematic trailer that showcased story elements, graphical quality, and returns for staple FF characters such as summons like Ifrit, the very end of the trailer at 2:41 noted the title is “Not available on other platforms until 12/31/2023.” The trailer can be seen below.
This, of course, leads to the speculation that Final Fantasy 16 may be only a timed console exclusive for PS5. Yoshida may have disappointed PS5-less fans from his response when questioned by fans during this livestream about the possibility of a PC port. In the translation of the statement from Siliconera, Yoshida said “There’s been talk that the PC version [of FFXVI] will come out, but no one [on the team] has said anything about the PC version. I wonder why people assume the PC version will arrive six months after [the PS5 version], so just go ahead and buy a PS5.”
While the ‘just go ahead and buy a PS5’ may sound brazen, Yoshida doesn’t necessarily destroy the notion that a non-PS5 option will arrive in the future, the team for Final Fantasy 16 may just be focused on the initial PS5 release first then maybe a port will come down the line. But fans banking on the ‘timed exclusive’ message in The Game Awards trailer shouldn’t get their hopes up with this latest development.
While a PC port hasn’t been ruled out, it definitely hasn’t been announced, so fans should stay tuned on upcoming announcements regarding the massive title as we inch closer to the June 22nd release date.
