The original plan was for Square Enix to make a big year-end announcement regarding Final Fantasy XVI. That’s not going to happen, and the game has been delayed by at least half a year.
“When we last spoke, I promised I would have more information on Final Fantasy XVI sometime later in 2021,” wrote producer Naoki Yoshida in an official announcement. “However, I regret to inform you that I will be unable to keep that promise, as complications from the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic have delayed the game’s development by almost half a year.”
Final Fantasy XVI is being developed by a number of creators from around the world. As part of Square Enix’s efforts to offset the impact of the pandemic, it has allowed staff to work from home. “This has unfortunately hampered communication from the Tokyo office, which, in turn, has led to delays in—or in extreme cases, cancellations of—asset deliveries from our outsource partners.”
This is understandable. The pandemic has upended and complicated things for people all over the world.
“That said, we have spent much of 2021 addressing this issue, and hope to see its impact to a minimum by the new year, allowing us to better focus on the tasks at hand: increasing graphic resource quality, refining combat mechanics, fleshing out individual battles, putting the finishing touches on cutscenes, and conducting overall graphic optimization.”
According to Yoshida, the current plan is to roll out a big reveal in spring 2022.
“I deeply apologize to all those who have been looking forward to learning more about Final Fantasy XVI,” Yoshida concluded, “and thank you for your continued patience while we focus our combined efforts on development.”
Is it me, or do you kind of feel bad that Yoshida keeps having to apologize? Things happen. We understand. See you next spring.