Square Enix and Sony used the June 2022 PlayStation State of Play stream to give fans a deeper look at Final Fantasy XVI. The State of Play trailer reveals new gameplay footage and character highlights, as well as a launch window.
The trailer focused on the world of Valisthea and the power of Eikons like Ifrit, Titan, and Shiva who are series mainstays. Though the term Eikon in relation to those three should feel familiar to players of Final Fantasy XIV, which is also developed by Square Enix’s internal studio Creative Business Unit III and produced by Naoki Yoshida. Creative Business Unit III is primarily known for Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XIV so FFXVI will be the first non-MMO entry in the series created by the dev team.
As far as story and characters go, we’re still a bit light on details when it comes to FFXVI, though we do know that the game follows the journey of Clive Rosfield and his younger brother Joshua Rosfield. The relationship between the two brothers seems strained from past trailers, and also appears to come to blows at some point, but this is a Final Fantasy game so that may not be the end of their story. So far, most of what we’ve seen from Final Fantasy XVI appears to be in the same vein as every other game in the franchise, with chocobos, massive summons, and epic battles.
That said, this trailer is the first major update on the game since it was delayed in December due to complications from the pandemic, and it appears to be back on track. While Yoshida confirmed that the game was in its “final stages” of development and debugging back in April we haven’t seen much of Final Fantasy XVI since the delay announcement. And it seems like the end is nearer than not as FFXVI is currently scheduled for release in Summer 2023.
UPDATED: June 2, 9:05 PM
In a press release circulated after the stream, Square Enix provided statements from Game Director Hiroshi Takai and Yoshida. Further commentary from the development team was also posted to the game’s landing page.
Yoshida’s statement focused on the gameplay:
The latest trailer gives players a clearer picture of what actual gameplay will entail. Namely, high-octane battles featuring our protagonist Clive Rosfield wielding a full arsenal of attacks unique to the game’s many Eikons (summons). Not to mention epic clashes between the Eikons themselves that put you right in the action.
The team, under direction of Hiroshi Takai, has entered the final leg of development and is focusing on polish as they continue their march toward launch. With the power of the PlayStation®5 console behind us, we’re looking to take you on a seamless, story-driven, white-knuckle ride that will rival even the most thrilling roller-coaster. So, buckle up. The wait is almost over.
Meanwhile, Takai’s statement focused on the Eikons and the game’s development:
In our latest trailer, we’ve introduced several new Eikons, as well as provided a more detailed peek at our action-packed battle system and the freedom it gives players. As for development progress, I’m happy to announce that the game is fully playable from start to finish; though, from optimization to brush-up, there is still a mountain of challenges to tackle as we head into our final push. Until then, please stay tuned. We’ll do our best to not keep you waiting too long before our next update!”
