After years of speculation and rumours, Final Fantasy 16 producer Naoki Yoshida has set the record straight on the PC version of the game.
Final Fantasy is one of the most iconic franchises in gaming history, but outside of the two MMORPG entries – Final Fantasy 11 and Final Fantasy 14 – none of the main entries in Square Enix's premiere series have arrived on PC at launch. Final Fantasy 16 will be no different when it releases exclusively on PS5 on June 22, 2023.
Producer Naoki Yoshida recently said during a Mahjong stream that “none of us have ever said that” in regards to a Final Fantasy 16 PC version being on the way, and that fans should “just buy a PS5”. Rumours of a PC release have been around since the game was first revealed back in September 2020. The original trailer for the game features small print at the end saying the game will also be available on PC; something that was quickly denied by a Square Enix representative when speaking to Polygon.
However, Yoshida has now added some more context to the Final Fantasy 16 PC release situation in a recent post on the Japanese PlayStation Blog (which we’ve translated using Google Translate). He acknowledges that he had “caused a bit of a stir” with his remarks during the aforementioned stream. He goes on to clarify that it is true that there is a six-month exclusivity period for the PS5 version, but that doesn’t mean that a Final Fantasy PC version will release at that time. He says “the PC version will not come out in half a year”.
Yoshida doesn’t rule out a Final Fantasy 16 PC version entirely however, saying “of course, I would like to release a PC version at some point so that everyone can play as many games as possible”, adding “even if we start optimising the PC version after the PS5 version comes out, we won't be able to optimise it in half a year”.
He ends by saying that he'll be happy if fans play the PS5 version which he's made “with the thought of being the best game in the world” adding “Please don't say, ‘I won't buy the PS5 version because the PC version will be released in half a year’”.
Ifrit May Cry
Obviously, no developer with an exclusivity deal is going to say 'Oh hey guys, just wait because it will come to other platforms' but we rarely see this kind of transparency, especially from a Japanese studio who is historically very hush-hush. It’s refreshing to see, and helps explain why Yoshi-P is such a beloved figure in the Final Fantasy community.
Hopefully PC players won’t have to wait too long to play Final Fantasy 16. It’s looking to be one of the best games of 2023 from the trailers and gameplay previews. The team includes Devil May Cry 5 and Dragons Dogma: Dark Arisen designer Ryota Suzuki, who is designing the combat for Final Fantasy 16. I love the combat mechanics in these games so I'm poised to fall in love with Final Fantasy 16 already.
