Final Fantasy 16 For PS4 Would Have Needed 2 More Years

Final Fantasy 16 is set to release in less than a month, and the latest PlayStation Showcase gave fans another look at the next mainline release in the JRPG franchise.

The game will be released for the PS5 exclusively, with the developers previously stating that the title uses the PS5 for a next-gen experience. However, a recent interview reveals that Final Fantasy 16 was also planned for PS4 initially, but a last-gen version would have led to more development time.

Why it matters: Despite the PS4 being nearly a decade old, many games in 2023 are still being released on the console. However, Final Fantasy is among the few games skipping the console.

During a recent interview with Final Fantasy Union, Producer Naoki Yoshida was asked about Sony’s involvement in the game’s development and the PS4 version. The Producer stated that Final Fantasy 16 was being made for PS4, but it would take more time.

He said:

“To get it to a level that we were gonna be proud of, we would have needed at least one or two more years of development.”

As such, the studio abandoned development for PS4 and stuck to PS5. Previously, Producer Naoki Yoshida has talked about the PS5 being very important to the current state of Final Fantasy 16.

The console has allowed the team to eliminate loading screens while also reaching impressive visual fidelity. According to the Producer, Final Fantasy 16 will be a showcase for the console’s capabilities.

With the game nearing release, the developer appears to be quite confident about the game’s final build. Final Fantasy may also end up being one of the few games that launch without a day-one patch in 2023.

However, this may not have been possible if the team was still working on a PS4 version. Recently, games like Hogwarts Legacy have been released for the PS4, but the development team needed a few more months to polish the PS4 release.

As such, a similar scenario could have taken place with Final Fantasy.

While this may be disappointing for PS4 owners, the benefits of moving to current-gen consoles have likely outweighed the negatives.

With current-gen exclusivity, a focus on action combat, and an epic narrative, Final Fantasy 16 is shaping up to be one of the best games in 2023.