The Game Awards 2022 has confirmed that Naoki Yoshida, the producer of Final Fantasy XVI, will be attending the show to host a ‘special live presentation’ which many fans believe could be the long-rumoured release date trailer and pre-orders opening for the upcoming JRPG. The game is expected to launch sometime in the summer of 2023 exclusively for PS5, though no specific release date was given.
The social media accounts of The Game Awards confirmed that Yoshida will make an appearance at the awards show, slyly teasing that he’ll have a special presentation in store for fans. This is highly likely to be related to Final Fantasy XVI, as the official Twitter account for the game even retweeted the news. It also aligns with previous reports that indicated pre-orders would open on 7 or 8 December, the latter being the date of The Game Awards.
READ MORE – Final Fantasy XVI is Exclusive to PS5 for Only Six Months
Pre-orders typically go live once a game has been given an official release date. Fans believe that we’ll get a release date for Final Fantasy XVI at The Game Awards, perhaps taking the form of a new gameplay trailer that’s likely to be Yoshida’s “special live presentation.”
The Game Awards takes place next week Thursday at 7 PM CAT and host Geoff Keighley is slowly unveiling the list of guests and presenters that will be in attendance. Yoshida was the first notable figure to be announced, though we can expect more to be revealed in the coming days.
Final Fantasy XVI is the sixteenth mainline instalment in Square Enix’s iconic JRPG franchise. It was originally announced back in 2020 during a PlayStation showcase, confirming Creative Business Unit III and producer Naoki Yoshida as the development team behind the project. Yoshida was listed as a key figure in reviving Final Fantasy XIV, the MMORPG that arguably fosters one of the largest online communities in the gaming world today.
Final Fantasy XVI is currently in development exclusively for PS5.
Source: The Game Awards