2022 is already a packed year for games, but one fan-favorite franchise has fans wondering. While Square Enix has been absolutely slaying the MMO competition with Final Fantasy XIV, the next mainline title hasn’t made much of an appearance since the initial announcement trailer was shown in late 2020. A recent post from the company details a number of upcoming titles to be released during 2022, and to the horror of fans, Final Fantasy XVI is nowhere to be seen.
The following twelve months will see plenty of success for Square Enix, with games like Forspoken, Babylon’s Fall, Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, and Life is Strange Remastered Collection all on the docket. Fans are holding onto hope, however, as a previous statement from the company indicated that the next time Final Fantasy XVI was shown publically, it would be close to a launch date. In recent years, public delays have become more and more common, and Square Enix would, understandably, like to avoid this as much as possible. Previously, the company did this with Guardians of the Galaxy, which was announced in June 2021 and released in October.
The company’s website also clarifies that some surprises are to be expected in 2022 and that the games listed are just the tip of the iceberg. Keeping such a massive title under wraps is a bold strategy, but it might just work out for them.
Final Fantasy XVI remains without a concrete release window. The title is in development for PC and PlayStation 5. At the end of December, the game’s producer and director Naoki Yoshida made a post to Twitter explaining that the game’s development had been pushed back by almost ‘half a year’ as a result of the ongoing pandemic. Final Fantasy XVI news is expected in Spring 2022. Let’s just pray that the presentation doesn’t contain the word ‘NFT.’
