Final Fantasy 16: Every Confirmed And Leaked Detail We Know
Everything's not quite crystal clear just yet...
We're just a few months on from Square-Enix indulging everybody's nostalgia for fantasies of yore with the smash-hit Final Fantasy VII Remake, and already the company are looking towards the future. During Sony's PlayStation 5 showcase this past week, the Japanese giants unveiled a jaw-dropping new trailer for the next mainline epic in their illustrious series: Final Fantasy XVI.
It's fair to say it's had fans of the franchise leaving pools of spittle on the floor in excitement. The four minute tease largely centred on Final Fantasy XVI's narrative - a swords 'n' sorcery epic with the requisite quantity of floppy-haired, doe-eyed heroes - but we also saw a few glimpses of gameplay. For those who loved Final Fantasy VII Remake - and there were a lot of you - the combat shown will be even further cause for celebration. (Equally, it might induce a groan for long-term lovers of all things Cactuars and Chocobos.)
With just the one trailer in our mitts, details are naturally a little thin at present, but we were still able to glean an airship full of juicy details from it. Here's what you need to know so far.
7. It's A Timed PS5 Exclusive
At the end of Final Fantasy XVI's 'Awakening' trailer, a splash screen flashed up promoting Square-Enix's next epic as a 'PlayStation Console Exclusive'. The wording here is very subtle: that's a PlayStation console exclusive, not a 'PlayStation Console' exclusive - as clarified by the minute asterisk at the bottom.
For those without the vision of a sparrowhawk, that microscopic text reads 'Also available on PC', suggesting it'll come out on home computers alongside the PS5 version before it lands on alternative hardware. That may or may not be true.
It transpires Square-Enix have made a bit a hash of their message here. According to industry analyst Piers Harding-Rolls, FFXV will be a "full exclusive for 6 months," following which it can release on non-console platforms - PC in other words (unless there's an ambitious Game Boy port in the works). However, that is purely theoretical, as the studio quickly reversed the PC announcement, omitting it entirely from their press release.
Harding-Rolls went on to say that PS5 console exclusivity endures for 12 months, though conversion to Xbox SSX Tricky and a potentially upgraded Switch is entirely at the discretion of the dev. team.