UPDATE: Final Fantasy XVI Development 95% Complete; More Precise Release Date Info Arriving Later This Year & More

Famitsu recently interviewed significant members of Final Fantasy XVI following its latest trailer, namely producer Naoki Yoshida, director Hiroshi Takai, and creative director Kazutoyo Maehiro.

This interview is incredibly lengthy, and we intend to dive into its finer details later, but there are two vital pieces of information worth knowing right away. Firstly development is stated to be around 95% complete, and news regarding the title’s launch date will be discussed later this year. Currently, only a Summer 2023 release window has been provided.

An interview with 4Gamer revealed that the release date would arrive via a trailer at the end of the year. There will be two New Game Plus modes. The first will carry over your levels and equipment, but the enemies will be stronger because, in their words, “it’s no fun when you just one-shot everything.” The second New Game Plus mode is more hardcore because your level is fixed. Details on how this will work were not provided.

An interview with Dengeki revealed that there are plans to release a demo of the game, but they’d rather do it close to the full title’s launch. In the story-focused mode, players will be equipped with the Auto-Attack ring and Auto-Slow ring (note that official English localization terms might differ). The former will make combat sequences easier, while the latter will slow down time as enemies are close to striking you, enabling more time to dodge.

Further, enemies will generally have less health and attack less in this mode. Takai states that the biggest point potentially making the game easier relies on whether the player leaves both rings equipped.

Thanks to our team’s Ryuji for translating this information.

PlayStation Blog revealed the following statement from Localization Director Koji Fox regarding the composer, Soken:

“When [FFXVI composer] Masayoshi Soken heard the sung lines, he and his team decided to handcraft a background lute part for each one…despite the extra work that meant for them because we had recorded the songs acapella and tempo and pitch were all over the place.”

A new character named Byron has been teased. “He’s a character with an extremely likable personality: very cheerful and magnanimous.”

An interview with the outlet Everyeye revealed that the game will take around 35-40 hours to beat, with roughly 70 hours expected for completionists.

IGN conducted their own interview heavily revolving around the setting and cast.

UPDATE 11/7/2022: A new official PlayStation video states that the game will be exclusive to PlayStation 5 for 6 months:

Final Fantasy XVI is set to be a more action-heavy entry than its predecessors, with a Devil May Cry V designer even taking the helm. Throughout the title, players will control the protagonist Clive, as he confronts various Dominants, humans who have been cursed with the power to become Eikons.

The producer, Naoki Yoshida, describes this game as akin to his experience with the first Final Fantasy, as “playing the lead in an epic motion picture.” The reasoning for this title’s action-oriented approach and more classical fantasy setting was to “appeal to as wide a range of gamers as possible.” Moreover, “there will be a “comprehensive support system in place for players who aren’t too confident with action games.”

• View our extensive summation of the previously revealed Final Fantasy XVI information, including screenshots, renders, profiles, and much more.
• View our coverage compiling multiple interviews of the game.
• New Key Art
• Final Fantasy XVI Interview Breakdown Compilation
• Check out the latest trailer and accompanying information, including renders and screenshots.