Final Fantasy 16 developer squashes rumours of PC version

13 January 2023 , 09:47

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Final Fantasy 16 (Image: Square Enix)

Naoki Yoshida, Final Fantasy 16 developer, throws a spanner in fans' expectations of a PC version making the future uncertain for the game on the platform.

When Final Fantasy 16 was announced, many gamers were disappointed to find out that the game will be yet another PS5 exclusive when it launches on on June 22, 2023 . It was discovered in a promotional video for the PlayStation 5 console, shortly after the announcement, that small print stated the game would be a "PS5 exclusive for six months".

This led gamers to believe that Final Fantasy 16 would be released on PC and potentially other platforms by the end of the year. A recent mahjong stream has thrown a spanner in these speculations, with director and producer Naoki Yoshida – aka Yoshi-P – stating that no one has ever vocalised plans for a PC version in six months.

He followed up by saying "In either case, please buy the PS5" as per the translation from Aitai Kimochi shown above. Many other Final Fantasy games, including recently released Final Fantasy 7 remakes, are available on PC which led fans to believe that it wouldn't be any different with the newest addition to the collection.

As of right now, it's unclear what the future of Final Fantasy 16 will be. We know it will definitely be a PS5 exclusive for the first six months at least but what happens after that is uncertain.

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Is it time for PC gamers to just 'buy a PS5'?

As a PC gamer, I will admit that it feels like I'm missing out on a lot of the best PS5 games which are Sony exclusives. Over the past few months, I have been considering picking up a PS5 just to play games like God of War: Ragnarok and Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales.

Although many titles do eventually come to PC, like the original God of War, the wait times are insane. The original God of War was launched back in 2018 and the PC edition in 2022. Waiting four years to get on board with one of the most popular titles really gives me FOMO (fear of missing out, for those unfamiliar).

If Final Fantasy 16 does come to PC after only six months of exclusivity, that of course isn't as long to wait but it does mean those without a PS5 will miss that first window of when a game launches, everyone is playing it at the same time and it feels like you're the only one not in on the hype.

Wait times aside, I prefer gaming on my PC and spend the majority of my free time doing so meaning if I do pick up a PS5 it will end up only being used to play those few exclusive titles. Is it really worth spending all of that money to spend a couple of hours a month on the console?

Jasmine Mannan