20 Most Anticipated Video Games Of 2023
5. Final Fantasy XVI
Platforms: PlayStation 5
The second Final Fantasy on our list is just as tantalizing as the first, but for very different reasons.
Honestly, what most excites us about FF XVI is the talent attached to the project. Combat is being handled by Ryota Suzuki, gameplay designer for the excellent Devil May Cry 5 (a perfect fit for FFXVI's switch to real-time combat). The soundtrack, meanwhile, is being composed by Masayoshi Soken, whose stellar work on FF XIV and its expansions have shown him to be a worthy heir to the legendary Nobuo Uematsu.
Having said that, by far the biggest name attached to FFXVI is that of Naoki Yoshida. Yoshida did the impossible when he turned FFXIV from an industry joke to one of gaming's biggest success stories, and we're waiting with baited breath to see what he can do with a whole new world as his playground.
With that much talent in the room, and the pedigree attached to any numbered Final Fantasy entry, it's difficult for JRPG lovers not to get excited about Final Fantasy XVI.