Square Enix has confirmed that, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Final Fantasy 16's development has been delayed by "almost a half year" and the next big reveal will not take place until Spring 2022.
Final Fantasy 16 producer Naoki Yoshida shared the news on Twitter and took the time to apologize that he and the team would not be able to keep their promise to show more of the much-anticipated next entry in the Final Fantasy series in 2021.
"Greetings everyone," Yoshida wrote. "When last we spoke, I promised I would have more information on Final Fantasy XVI sometime later in 2021. However, I regret to inform you that I will be unable to keep that promise as complications stemming from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic have delayed the game's development by almost a half year."
"As the latest addition to the Final Fantasy series being developed for the PlayStation 5, Final Fantasy XVI has amassed a sizable team composed of talented creators from around the world," Yoshida continued. "However, in an effort to offset the effects of COVID-19, we've had to decentralize that workforce by permitting staff to tackle their assignments from home.
"This has unfortunately hampered communication from the Tokyo office, which, in turn, has led to delays in - or in extreme cases, cancellations of - asset deliveries from our outsource partners."
While this may not be the news Final Fantasy fans wanted to hear, Yoshida reassures all of us that much of 2021 has been spent tackling all these issues, meaning 2022 is looking a lot more hopeful.
"That said, we have spent much of 2021 addressing this issue, and hope to see its impact to a minimum by the new year, allowing us to better focus on the tasks at hand: increasing graphic resource quality, refining combat mechanics, fleshing out individual battles, putting the finishing touches on cutscenes, and conducting overall graphical optimization," Yoshida explained. "Our primary goal now is to be as hands on with the game as possible in order to see it fully polished."
As for when we will see the game next, Yoshida has revealed that the team is planning for a big reveal for Final Fantasy 16 to take place in Spring 2022.
"So that leaves us with the question, when can we expect the next round of information? Well, I am happy to announce the current plan is to conduct our next big reveal in spring of 2022 as we seek to build excitement leading up to the game's eventual release," Yoshida said.
"I deeply apologize to all those who have been looking forward to learning more about Final Fantasy XVI, and thank you for your continued patience while we focus our combined efforts on development," Yoshida concluded.
Final Fantasy 16 was first announced at September 2020’s PS5 event with a cinematic trailer that showed off a more medieval fantasy setting, iconic summons, crystals, and much more for this upcoming PlayStation exclusive.
We've since learned a bit more about the game, including the six realms that make up the land of Valisthea - The Grand Duchy of Rosaria, The Holy Empire of Sanbreque, The Kingdom of Waloed, The Dhalmekian Republic, The Iron Kingdom, and The Crystalline Dominion.
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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.
