Sony kicked off their Playstation 5 Showcase last night by revealing a 4 minute long trailer for Final Fantasy XVI and what a trailer it was. We were shown glimpses of gameplay and cinematics as well as Ifrit being shown in all his glory. The only details we have to go on for the story at this point are what we’ve been shown in the trailer. Crystals, Eikons, and a war, some standard Final Fantasy markings there. The big shift away from Sci-Fi to a more fantasy/medieval setting is a nice turn but comes as no surprise once it’s revealed that Naoki Yoshida is the producer on Final Fantasy 16.
To some that name will ring instant bells to others allow us to help. Naoki Yoshida is the director & producer on Final Fantasy 14. Square Enix’s hit MMO. Watching the FF16 trailer you can easily get strong FF14 vibes, with the mention of Eikons, the same term that the Garlean’s (One of FF14’s big evil empires) use. On top of this watching the trailer through if you’ve played 14 will bring strong Ishgard memories rushing to your mind.
The original showcase mentioned that Final Fantasy would be coming to PC, but this has now been removed from the trailers. Focus on the PS5 release is no surprise at this time, but we’d put a good amount of faith in the idea that around 1-1.5 years after release, a PC version might crop up, given Square’s track record with following this kind of process in the past.
More information about Final Fantasy 16 will be heading our way in 2021, but until then you can rewatch the trailer below and come up with as many theories as possible. Maybe this game is set in one of the other 12 worlds of Final Fantasy 14? Who knows.
