Final Fantasy 16, the upcoming entry in the long-running RPG series, has gone gold three months ahead of its release date in the summer. This marks a significant milestone in the game’s development, as going gold means that the game’s development is complete and is ready for mass production.
It has been almost seven years since the release of the last numbered entry in the series, and Final Fantasy 16 is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated games of 2023. Over the past few weeks, the game’s marketing has intensified, with content creators and outlets being offered previews of the game and showcasing its world, as well as trailers teasing its narrative.
Yoshi-P, the game’s producer, recently held a panel at PAX East, where he presented significant details and gameplay for Final Fantasy 16. One of the most significant changes to the series is its shift towards real-time action combat, which has traditionally included turn-based elements.
The announcement of the game going gold was made via a brief tweet from the official Final Fantasy 16 account which can be viewed below, expressing hope that fans are eagerly anticipating its release. This achievement is especially noteworthy as it is rare for video games to go gold this far out from release. Typically, going gold means that the game has been granted approval by first-party companies and is virtually complete.
While it is possible that bug fixes and minor adjustments will still be made to the game before release, the approval of the gold master version is a significant step towards its launch. Additionally, the exclusivity period negotiated by Sony and Square Enix for the game’s release on PlayStation 5 will expire in December. While the PC version of the game will not be released at the same time as the PS5 version, Yoshida has confirmed that it will be released eventually.
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Final Fantasy 16 is set to release on June 22nd, 2023, exclusively on PlayStation 5. Fans of the series are eagerly awaiting its release and are hoping that it will live up to the high standards set by its predecessors.