It feels like it’s been a long wait for Final Fantasy XVI, especially given the long periods with seemingly little news to show for it. Just under three years after its initial announcement, though, the finish line is finally in sight.
Just today, it was announced through the Final Fantasy XVI Twitter account that the game has finally gone gold. What this means is that development has been completed and the game is ready to be properly released and manufactured.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that development completely stops on the project. Usually, the extra time between a game going gold and releasing will be spent putting the finishing touches on polishing and patching any bugs that may come along. Even so, it’s always nice when a game goes gold, as it’s a sign that the patience of fans will soon be rewarded.
What’s most impressive about this news is how far in advance the game has gone gold. Final Fantasy XVI is set to launch on June 22, and thus, it’s crazy to think that it’s mostly ready to go with so much time to spare. Surely, it will continue to be polished up until release, but it’s worth noting that producer Naoki Yoshida (or Yoshi-P, as he’s known) confirmed that it was in the “final stretch of development” last April.
Furthermore, director Hiroki Sakai stated in October that the game was essentially in the home stretch of development, with a focus on debugging and final adjustments. It sounds as though the game has been in the polishing stage for a while now, and the developers have been treating it with a great deal of care. Translation: get ready, Final Fantasy fans, because Final Fantasy XVI truly feels like it could be something special.
Final Fantasy XIV will release exclusively for PS5 on June 22.
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