Final Fantasy XVI producer Naoki Yoshida has penned a letter to fans, apologizing for the lack of updates that were promised by the end of 2021. Unfortunately, the game’s development has been delayed by nearly six months due to the pandemic, and as a result, the next “big” reveal has been set for Spring 2022.
According to Yoshida, as Final Fantasy XVI‘s development progressed, it understandably amassed a sizeable and globally dispersed development team comprised of both internal and external partners. In order to minimize the effects of the ongoing pandemic, Square Enix “decentralized” the game’s workforce, which resulted in communication issues and missed deadlines.
The good news is that Square Enix seems to have established a modus operandi around the pandemic, which Yoshida believes will minimize any negative impact next year. The team’s focus now revolves around “increasing graphic resource quality, refining combat mechanics, fleshing out individual battles, putting the finishing touches on cutscenes, and conducting overall graphical optimization.”
“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 wrote. “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.”
You can read the letter in its entirety below.
A message from Final Fantasy XVI producer Naoki Yoshida. #FF16 #FFXVI pic.twitter.com/qtfJUUp6LA
— FINAL FANTASY XVI (@finalfantasyxvi) December 27, 2021