For the bulk of the last year, Square-Enix, and in particular lead of Final Fantasy XVI, Naoki Yoshida have been giving us very numerically based updates on the development progression of the upcoming 16th core entry in the Final Fantasy franchise. We’ve heard 75%, 80%, and even 90% complete, now a new update from Final Fantasy XVI Director Hiroshi Takai has had his say and we’ve again received a new progress check!

In a new interview with the Japanese publication Famitsu, and translated by IGN, Takai was asked for an update on the progress of the game and he was quick to provide an update, confirming that Final Fantasy XVI is “about 95%” complete. Takai shares that the bulk of the game’s current development work is being spent on cleaning up bugs with a current mandate being to not add new content, Takai saying, “we’ve forbidden anyone to add new code in case new bugs appear.”

With the game being so near to completion, as much as a game is ever truly finished, the question obviously becomes for fans ‘so when do we find out a release date?’ The last update Square-Enix provided game players a Summer 2023 release window, but considering how close Final Fantasy XVI‘s development is to wrapping, the expectation is that we’ll soon have a more concrete date imminently. Takai recognises this and shared a nugget of insight into the inner workings at Square-Enix on the matter, saying, “We plan to announce some more information before the end of the year, so I think we can announce it at that time. I don’t think we’ll go beyond the summer, so I think it’s okay.” Some might speculate that with the “before the end of the year” line, that events like Geoff Keighley’s The Game Awards might prove to be the home for a release date revelation.

Final Fantasy XVI‘s release date is of course a point of excitement and concern for fans. In March 2015, Square-Enix announced at a huge event at the Shrine Auditorium that Final Fantasy XV would launch on September 30, 2015, but then, only months later announced a delay to November 29, 2015. Square-Enix has never been shy to delay the launch of their biggest hitters if they’ve been in need, and while they’re displaying a lot of outward-facing confidence right now, a delay in the future can never be properly ruled out.

Final Fantasy XVI is currently slated for release in Summer 2023, and will launch both PC and the PS5.

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