Summary
- Hiroshi Takai, the director of Final Fantasy 16, thinks that future games in the franchise could be released on PC on day one.
- Releasing future installments on PC would fit with Square Enix's recent multiplatform strategy.
- Final Fantasy 16 is coming to PC on September 17.
Final Fantasy 16 director Hiroshi Takai thinks that future installments may be released on PC at launch. When the latest mainline title in the franchise was released on the PlayStation 5 to rave reviews last summer, Square Enix promised fans that a PC port would be coming in the future, though exactly when remained a mystery. Complicating the matter was the fact that Final Fantasy 16 was a timed exclusive on PlayStation hardware for six months after its release, with producer Naoki Yoshida admitting that the PC version wouldn’t come right away.
The wait for the PC version of Final Fantasy 16 is coming to an end, as Square Enix recently announced that the port would be launching on September 17. In addition to the base game, this PC port of Final Fantasy 16 will come packaged with the Echoes of the Fallen and The Rising Tide DLC campaigns, as well as numerous graphical options to ensure that the mystical land of Valisthea looks and plays like never before. A free Final Fantasy 16 demo is currently available to download on Steam and the Epic Games Store, giving curious players a taste of the game’s opening prologue.
Final Fantasy 16 Needs its Own 'Crisis Core'
Final Fantasy 16 is a great game that still has a lot of potential, and using the Crisis Core format could be the best way to unlock it.
Fans have been wondering if the upcoming Final Fantasy 16 PC port could pave the way for future entries to be multiplatform at launch, and director Hiroshi Takai seems to think this is possible. While speaking to GamesRadar+, Takai said that new Final Fantasy games could be released on PC on release day, but that this choice would ultimately fall to the development team in charge of each project. He does point out that said developers “don't get anything out of delaying [a PC] release,” noting that his team at Creative Business Unit 3 did everything they could to bring Final Fantasy 16 to PC as soon as possible.
Future Final Fantasy Games Could Come To PC On Day 1
Hiroshi Takai’s statement seems to reflect Square Enix’s increasing efforts to bring its games to the larger PC market in recent years. Earlier this year, the company announced that it was ‘aggressively’ pursuing multiplatform publishing in the face of declining sales. Sure enough, the Kingdom Hearts series finally made its way to Steam in June, and some believe that the third Final Fantasy 7 Remake title could be Square Enix’s last timed PlayStation exclusive.
This strategy is continuing with Final Fantasy 16, with Hiroshi Takai even stating that he would love to see FF16 ported to Xbox Series X/S in the future, though his team's focus is understandably on the upcoming PC version. Should Final Fantasy 16 prove successful on Steam and the Epic Games Store, it could lead to future Final Fantasy titles being released on PC alongside their console versions, which would increase the number of gamers jumping into Square Enix’s legendary JRPG mega-franchise.
Final Fantasy 16
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 87 /100 Critics Rec: 91%
- Released
- June 22, 2023
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Publisher(s)
- Square Enix
- Engine
- Proprietary Engine
- Franchise
- Final Fantasy
WHERE TO PLAY
An epic dark fantasy world where the fate of the land is decided by the mighty Eikons and the Dominants who wield them.
This is the tale of Clive Rosfield, a warrior granted the title “First Shield of Rosaria” and sworn to protect his younger brother Joshua, the dominant of the Phoenix. Before long, Clive will be caught up in a great tragedy and swear revenge on the Dark Eikon Ifrit, a mysterious entity that brings calamity in its wake.
