We have some interesting new tidbit about Final Fantasy XVI.
As shared on the Nvidia subreddit by user m_w_h, the latest driver update for Nvidia GPUs, numbered 560.8.1, includes a game ready driver profiles for Final Fantasy XVI. m_w_h points out that Nvidia did not directly state that the profile has been prepared, even in patch notes. Presumably, m_w_h datamined this information.
Final Fantasy XVI was originally released in June 2023 on the PlayStation 5. Square Enix revealed that the game would also be coming to PC, but did not officially confirm it until September of that same year. So, we are now running into nearly a year since that official announcement.
Square Enix apparently believed that the best way to guarantee Final Fantasy XVI ‘s chances of success would be to make it exclusive to PlayStation 5. The idea would seem to be that they could channel the loyal PlayStation fandom, as they had seen prior success with Final Fantasy VII Remake on the PlayStation 4.
As we now know, Final Fantasy XVI and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on the PlayStation 5 did not meet Square Enix’s financial expectations. These games may have been profitable, but if the profits were closer to breaking even than to the company’s forecasts, they still see it as a failure in that sense.
Square Enix has revealed since then that the company is now shifting gears to a multiplatform strategy for all their titles moving forward. But for now, their studio have to complete the Final Fantasy XVI port to PC before they even consider other platforms, such as the Xbox Series X|S, or maybe even Nintendo’s unannounced next console.
Last March, Square Enix stated that they would be preparing a demo for Final Fantasy XVI. It’s possible that this update is not necessarily in preparation for the game’s full release, but for the demo instead. We don’t entirely know how much work Square Enix has to put into this PC port, and that’s the reason why the schedule for this port is such a mystery.
So it’s possible that the demo is at the same scale as a vertical slice, and the PC port is still a year or two away. Or it may be planned in such a way that the demo comes with or after the official PC release. In that case, the demo would function to help entice gamers to buy the game, and of course they can use the demo to test if it will work on their rig.
In any case, don’t be surprised if Square Enix makes an announcement related to this very soon.
