The year 2022 has come to a close, and the teams at Square Enix have some year-end messages to share. 2023 is already looking to be an eventful one, with Final Fantasy XIV's new patch Gods Revel, Lands Tremble kicking things off on January 10. Not long after, Forspoken will release on PC and PlayStation 5 on January 24th, marking the team's debut title as Luminous Productions after developing Final Fantasy XV. Theatrhythm Final Bar Line compiles an absolutely massive list of Final Fantasy music into a rhythm game for PlayStation 4 and Switch, and is due out on February 16th. Octopath Traveler II follows up shortly after on February 24th, a Switch exclusive title that features the same style as the first but with new protagonists and a new world to explore. Into the Summer season, Final Fantasy XVI will launch on PlayStation 5, and new information about the game will pick up the pace as we enter the final six months before release. Development on Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is also accelerating, says its producer Yoshinori Kitase, and is scheduled for a Winter release — which means we could see it in early 2024. The Kingdom Hearts series will start

Hot on the heels of the new "Revenge" trailer and wealth of media reveals, Final Fantasy XVI has opened the doors on pre-orders some six months ahead of its June 22 launch. You might be wondering just how many versions of the game will be available, and what each of them include. Whilst FFXVI will only be available on PlayStation 5, there's a few options for fans to choose from. We're running down each of them in this handy guide for you. Standard Edition (Physical and Digital) The standard, normal box edition of the game available on disc or digitally through the PlayStation Store. It comes equipped with the following pre-order bonuses: The Braveheart (Weapon) DLCCait Sith Charm in-game item - an accessory that boosts your received Gil. Physical Deluxe Edition The Deluxe Edition can be pre-ordered at select retailers including the Square Enix Store and includes the following: The full gameA Special Clive Rosfield SteelBook CaseA cloth map of Valisthea - where the story unfolds Digital Deluxe Edition This version of the Deluxe Edition is digital only and can be pre-ordered directly from the PlayStation Store. This edition includes: The full gameA digital mini artbook that features some of the stunning illustrations and artwork from the gameA digital

In the latest trailer titled "Revenge", Final Fantasy XVI protagonist Clive Rosfield is driven by revenge around events that transpire in his youth. While the motives and details behind this event remain unclear, he nevertheless embarks on a journey that the game's story will revolve around. As Dominants, they are able to summon massive and powerful "eikons", beasts that correspond to the pantheon of Final Fantasy series summons, to their own peril. Alongside Clive is his canine companion Torgal, and various AI controlled party members that will come and go as the story transpires. Such allies are Jill Warrick, the dominant of Shiva, and Cidolfus Telamon, the dominant of Ramuh. Clashes between Dominants who have summoned eikons into their bodies. They are large scale battles depict the the eikons on a huge scale. High-speed battles where you switch between the power of numerous eikons that dwell within Clive. The story-focused mode is recommended for players who want to fully enjoy the story. Eikonic abilities can be activated with simple operations, automatically evade enemy attacks, and concentrate on the story while enjoying the exhilaration of battle. There is also an action-focused mode in which all the operations are performed by the player. You can switch

Final Fantasy XVI now has a release date, revealed alongside a new trailer promising "Revenge". The latest mainline entry will be available for PlayStation 5 on June 22, 2023, following up on the promised "Summer" release timing outlined by producer Naoki Yoshida some months back . The date follows up said trailer, which reveals plenty of new action, characters and locations that protagonist Clive will encounter in the realm of Valisthea. The publisher also revealed that pre-orders will open starting today, and we'll update as soon as we have those details available. For now, you can catch the new trailer in both English and Japanese voice overs below. English Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-U9SEYZDf0A Japanese Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLl8sT57FTE

Final Fantasy XVI will be exclusive to the PlayStation 5 platform when it launches in Summer 2023, but it appears that exclusivity will open up six months afterwards. In a new sizzle reel posted by Sony promoting the features of the DualSense controller, text accompanying the FFXVI footage updates us on how long we may have to wait (at minimum) before the potential for new platforms opens up. Final Fantasy VII Remake and its subsequent update Intergrade also enjoyed exclusivity on Sony's console platforms before eventually making their way to PC via the Epic Games Store and Steam (and Steam Deck verified to boot.) But, for those of us anticipating the game on PlayStation 5, its seems like we won't have too much longer to date, as producer Naoki Yoshida stated that an official release date would be announced before the end of the year along with another media blitz before marketing begins in earnest next year. He also shared the game is about 95% complete and that the schedule is on track to meet that Summer 2023 release. "Final Fantasy XVI anticipated Summer 2023.PS5 exclusive for six months." https://twitter.com/PlayStation/status/1589603576648798208

A wealth of new information on Final Fantasy XVI is making the rounds courtesy of a new media tour being fielded to the press following the release of the recent "Ambition" trailer. Producer Naoki Yoshida and director Hiroshi Takai shared a number of specific details on development status, as well as when we can expect a finalized release date. First, FFXVI is about 95% complete, according to Takai in an interview with Famitsu translated by the folks at Gematsu. “Currently, we’re playing through the game day after day, ironing out any rough patches, and brushing up some performance and rendering issues. After that comes bug fixes.” Yoshida reflected on some of his own experiences with game development, citing having grown accustomed to the development environment for online games, he was a little surprised how quickly the team had to go gold. "If you consider the production of physical discs, shipping them worldwide… all of that takes several months of physical time after going gold. So when we say development is 95% complete, some might say, ‘well then release it immediately,’ but that’s the reality of the situation…” As the game nears completion, so does the expected release date announcement. Thus far we know

The promised October Final Fantasy XVI update is here and with a new trailer that casts some light on story developments and the world of Valisthea. Its title, "Ambition," is foreboding, as the land is apparently dying due to the fading of the all-important crystals. These people rely on their blessing. The trailer also offers a glimpse at various kingdoms found in FFXVI - The Grand Duchy of Rosaria, said to be steeped in tradition; the Holy Empire of Sanbreque, where ambition is said to be divine; the Dhalmekian Republic, where fortunes shift with the desert sand; the Iron Kingdom, a place forged in both faith and fear; and the Kingdom of Waloed, which is said to be a fortress of isolation. In true Final Fantasy fashion, the trailer positions a war between these kingdoms as they're poised to claim the fading light and splendor of the crystals. There's an extensive look at summons too, which will play an important role in FFXVI, along with protagonist Clive traversing terrain with other party members. The development team also posted new comments as they continue towards a Summer 2023 release on PlayStation 5. “I'm happy to announce that our newest trailer—Ambition—is now live,” said

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