Something very special happened between last week's portion of this feature and today. Namely, a round of media interviews with Naoki Yoshida dropped, effectively doubling our understanding of Final Fantasy XVI. I'm as grateful as any other fan — in fact, my interest levels have risen even higher, and I literally committed to writing thousands of words on this game beforehand — but it puts this, the final installment in the Casting Libra on Final Fantasy XVI miniseries, in sort of a strange position. Consider what I said about this two weeks back. We here at Nova Crystalis wanted someone to cover June 2022's new trailer, and ideally, that someone would be thorough. That's been the goal. Hopefully, I've been adequate in that regard! It's just that, and this is a happy challenge to be sure, we now have so much more to chew on regarding FFXVI's gameplay that taking a tremendously detailed look at what the trailer showed us could come at the expense of highlighting all the new information from interviews. To that end, I'll once again recommend our sister site's fantastic article on the matter. So, what's the game plan, then? I'll be shining a light on all the

A new salvo of Final Fantasy XVI interviews have bestowed new details about the 2023 action-RPG set to release on PlayStation 5. Featured is the game's producer Naoki Yoshida, who is also the producer and director of the franchise's latest MMORPG: Final Fantasy XIV. As the latest numbered entry, Yoshida says he faced a lot of pressure taking on two Final Fantasy projects simultaneously, insisting to upper management that he would only take it on if he limited himself to a producer role rather than serving in two roles as he does on FFXIV. There's also a lot of pressure in deciding the next destination for Final Fantasy, a series that has changed in myriad ways over its 35-year history, so much so that change is part of the tradition. However, Yoshida's role here is more keeping things on the rails rather than participating in the day to day creative decisions. The division Yoshida now helms, Creative Business Unit III, houses a lot of developers have a soft spot for the earlier titles in the series and their more medieval high-fantasy settings, and it was that affinity that lead them to create FFXVI's setting as you see it, rather than a modern

Welcome back to whatever this is. Last week, we banded together as I rambled for several pages over Final Fantasy XVI's lead development team and then turned an eye toward what we've seen of the game's world — the vast, dual-continent landmass called Valisthea. We all had lots of fun, which is why you've clicked on this week's article, and why I didn't flake on writing it. Our focus now shifts toward a more thorough look at the recent State of Play trailer that inspired all this discourse in the first place. But it isn't enough to just look at the thing in totality; there's a heavy enough mixture of cutscenes and gameplay stuffed into those three-odd minutes to warrant separate glances. We'll talk more about the gameplay side of the equation next week, except as it constitutes the story, characters, and societies of Valisthea — because those are our focal points for today. Benedikta? I Hardly Know Her I'd like to begin by giving some attention to a pair of pivotal characters whose identities have only just been revealed to us. There's Benedikta Harman, a woman who was technically introduced in 2020's announcement trailer but lacked a name at the time, and

Welcome to the first chapter of a three-part weekly series starring Final Fantasy XVI. Co-stars include whatever brand of coffee I’m drinking as I write these articles. Every week, I’ll be taking an extended look at specific aspects of FFXVI as we presently know it. Future parts will spend more time checking out that gorgeous recent State of Play trailer, first from a narrative and thematic perspective and later through a bunch of scribbled thoughts on combat and other potential gameplay features. For now, however, I will tilt my Dominant gaze toward some thoughts on the development team behind Square Enix’s next Final Fantasy’s next big thing. I’ll also spend some time musing over the shape of XVI’s world and how its designers may have gone about transforming such scale into something feasible to program in this modern age of RPGs. We’re decades removed from simple world maps; players today demand far more detailed settings. That’s enough pre-show chatter. Let’s mosey. Hail to the Queen. Awakening Fabula Nova Crystallis is dead. No, not this website. Nova Crystallis is fabulous. But the fal’Cie, the l’Cie, you see, they’re done and dusted, one and all. The Lightning saga lived long enough to directly influence Final Fantasy XV, itself a

With Final Fantasy XVI taking up the spotlight once again, Square Enix and Naoki Yoshida have a wealth of new information to share over on the PlayStation Blog. With the reveal of the new "Dominance" trailer, Yoshida shared a broader look at what actual gameplay will be like when the game launches for PlayStation 5 in Summer 2023. Not only can the protagonist Clive fight using an action battle system, Eikons (or summons) can too. The newest Eikons to join the fray include Titan and Garuda. Director Hiroshi Takai also chimed in, revealing that FFXVI is playable from start to finish but there's still many challenges to be had in their final push of development. Fans won't be kept too long until the next update. Yoshida notes that the game has entered its final leg of development as they focus on polishing up everything before launch. To that end, several key staff members were revealed including: ProducerNaoki YoshidaMain DirectorHiroshi TakaiCreative Director & Original ScreenplayKazutoyo MaehiroLocalization DirectorMichael-Christopher Koji FoxArt DirectorHiroshi MinagawaCombat DirectorRyota SuzukiCharacter DesignKazuya TakahashiComposerMasayoshi Soken A set of new screenshots was also provided detailing the land of Valisthea - the setting for FFXVI. Screenshots Character Designs (Kazuya Takahashi) Permanent Economic Adviser Hugo Kapka Permanent Economic Adviser Hugo Kupka’s meteoric rise

At long last Final Fantasy XVI has re-revealed itself to the world through Sony's latest State of Play broadcast. Producer Naoki Yoshida lead the way with a quick message thanking fans for their patience, noting that more will be shared on the game with media outlets in the coming weeks. The new trailer provided, titled "Dominance", features the protagonist Clive as he fights through various battles. The various eikons can be seen along with the game's user interface and upgrade in overall visuals. Of course, the trailer caps off with the news that Final Fantasy XVI will be available Summer 2023. That's about a year to wait for its release on PlayStation 5 but it looks as if the wait was indeed worth it. Catch the English and Japanese versions of the new trailer below. English https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gV5rIW1Qums Japanese https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVgjlP7omZQ

Merely a week since we heard Final Fantasy XVI is in the final stages of development, producer Naoki Yoshida could not help, but share even more news about the game by way of a special broadcast focusing on the upcoming collaborative event between NieR Reincarnation and Final Fantasy XIV. In a translation of the broadcast provided by @aitaikimochi, Yoshida shared to viewers that the development team have been working hard and dedicated a long time debugging and polishing the game. He also mentioned that he spent much of the Golden Week holidays making adjustments to the marketing plan of Final Fantasy XVI, and expressed a desire to give the team as much time as possible to continue polishing the game. Most noteworthy of all, Yoshida revealed that a brand new trailer for the game is expected to drop "soon", but no exact date or time was shared. Sit tight just for a little while longer, folks. Final Fantasy XVI is currently in development for PlayStation 5.

With Final Fantasy XVI set to reveal itself further sometime this Spring following nearly half a year delay due to the pandemic conditions, the latest bit of information comes from the most unlikely of places. It's not much but Final Fantasy as a series is currently being celebrated by Uniqlo with a number of shirts commemorating the 35th anniversary of the series. The company's latest in-store magazine has an interview with producer Naoki Yoshida, who has offered up a status update in the form of a brief comment. In a translation of said magazine provided by @aitaikimochi, Yoshida notes, "We're in the final stages of development for the new numbered game in the series, Final Fantasy XVI. We aim to deliver a comprehensive game full of story and gameplay. "Unlike an online game that involves many players at the same time, FFXVI offers a different experience where it focuses on the individual player and immerses you in the story. I think it's a very fleshed out story. For those who have grown up and realized that reality isn't kind to you and have drifted away from Final Fantasy, we hope that FFXVI will be a game that can bring back anew

In a recent message post published by Square Enix via Twitter, Final Fantasy XVI Producer Naoki Yoshida shared new information regarding the game's development. It's revealed that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has delayed production by "almost half a year", ultimately forcing the development team to spend much of 2021 to rectify it. As a result, Yoshida has confirmed that the next big reveal for Final Fantasy XVI will take place in Spring 2022, and apologizes to avid followers for not being able to share anything more about the game this year. Read Yoshida's full message below: Final Fantasy XVI is currently in development for PlayStation 5.

In a panel discussion hosted by Famitsu, Final Fantasy series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi and Final Fantasy XVI producer Naoki Yoshida took turns asking each other questions regarding the appeal and potential of RPGs. When Sakaguchi asked Yoshida about the progress FFXVI was making, he responded that the main scenario is currently complete, and that the team is working on the last parts of side quests. Character models are just about done, but they are working on quality improvements. There is also a growth system that is similar to a skill tree that has been implemented. Development started with a very small team, and they didn't increase the number of developers until they were confident on the design they were going to implement. For FFXVI, they also focused heavily on the action-based gameplay, and there was a lot of trial and error in doing so. Sakaguchi asked Yoshida, half-jokingly, if he could write a quest for FFXVI, but Yoshida said he could try writing for FFXIV since he's now playing it for the first time - to which Sakaguchi laughed responded that he didn't want to compete with other guest creators Yasumi Matsuno and Yoko Taro. Final Fantasy XVI is currently announced for PlayStation 5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWD9FEIxcsI