Naoki Yoshida has revealed that Final Fantasy XVI is going to get a Day One Patch after all.
As reported by GameRant, we’ll go ahead and share the patch notes:
- Fix a control flag issue that can make progress impossible under very specific circumstances.
- Fix an issue wherein the game close unexpectedly under very specific circumstances.
- Optimize performance in several places
- Fix some minor text errors
Naoki has revealed that this is only a 300 MB patch, and that it won’t be necessary to play the game. However, Square Enix’s Creative Unit 3 did decide it was significant enough to label it a patch and not just a hotfix or a series of hotfixes.
Around a month ago Square Enix stated that they did not have a day one patch planned at the time. While some fans will focus on Square having to renege their word on that point, what’s actually important here is why Square Enix intended not to patch the game.
Director Hiroshi Takai explained that the studio was mindful that when games launch with Day One patches, it divides fans, as some gamers experience the game without the patch, while others do. They were hoping to avoid that situation with Final Fantasy XVI.
And that does turn out to be relevant now, as Yoshida explains that they are taking actions to make sure everyone gets as equal an experience as possible, whether they can download a patch or not.
He claims that gamers who buy a physical version will have the update available to them somehow. This may actually mean that Square Enix and Sony will coordinate with retailers to share the patch files to place in a USB. If you do have a PlayStation 5 and an internet connection, Square will push the update out before the game launch.
Some keen observers noticed that the Final Fantasy XVI demo that Square Enix released early actually did not meet the performance goals the company stated they intended to reach. MeriStation reports that a YouTuber found that the demo does not run at native 4K in quality mode, and instead upscales from 1440p. On performance mode, it runs at 1080p, and dips below 60 FPS.
Square Enix may have heard similar feedback from other users, because Yoshida promised that they would fix said issues shortly after the demo’s release.
It would perhaps be best not to put Creative Unit 3 on too high a pedestal here. Naoki Yoshida’s proven specialty is not to make perfection out the gate. Rather, as many grateful Final Fantasy XIV fans now, he can rescue games from being cancelled, to near miraculous recovery, and finding and fulfilling a project’s potential.
Final Fantasy XVI will be releasing exclusively to the PlayStation 5 on June 22, 2023.
