I’m glad the PS4 version of Final Fantasy 16 was scrapped
Final Fantasy 16 is shaping up to be one of the PS5’s biggest exclusives, but according to producer Naoki Yoshida, it could have been on the PS4 as well.
Yoshida’s recent Japanese publication Famitsu. was interviewed about final fantasy 16 by (opens in new tab), following the release of the latest FF16 trailer during Sony’s State of Play earlier this month. Suggesting that the trailer received a better response than expected, Famitsu asked how Yoshida felt about the response given to the FF16 reveal trailer in 2020. It was here that Yoshida confirmed that the team took a different approach, mainly because a PS4 release was being considered.
Translated via Google Translate, he confirmed: “At the time, I was developing it with a view to releasing it on PlayStation 4, so I was worried I might not improve the quality. I pre-rendered once there.” I could, but it would be a waste of man-hours of development, and I didn’t want to do that. That’s because I wanted to make a trailer out of what I could enjoy as a game experience.”
It’s not particularly surprising to hear that the PS4 version of FF16 was dropped. Square Enix still has several cross-generation releases planned, including the recently announced Crysis Core remaster, but the Japanese publisher is slowly moving on to the new generation. As it currently stands, there are some big PS5 console exclusives on the way, including Forspoken and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.
Final Fantasy 16 feels like a true next generation experience
This isn’t the only interview Yoshida recently gave about Final Fantasy 16. Talking PlayStation Blog (opens in new tab)Of course, the makers of FF16 were full of praise for the PS5’s capabilities. “It is only thanks to the power of the PlayStation 5 system that we can make Final Fantasy 16 a roller-coaster ride,” he said. The manufacturer also praised Sony’s latest console for its graphical capabilities and “super-fast loading times”.
However, what really interested me is his comments on the gameplay. “In Final Fantasy 16, you jump right from the story cutscene into real-time combat and come back again without any loading times, allowing the gameplay to flow at a breakneck pace.” It feels like a real next-gen experience and I’m worried that if Square Enix went for a last-gen release, it would be seriously disrupted.
Personally, I’m glad Square Enix didn’t stick to these PS4 plans for Final Fantasy 16. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not criticizing the idea of a cross-gen release, but Sony’s older console is nine years old. There’s only so much you can do with older hardware before it essentially restricts developers. With the PS5 launching almost two years ago and stock shortages starting to wane, it’s finally time to move on.