Square Enix recently revealed two new story expansions for its action-RPG, Final Fantasy XVI. The first DLC, Echoes of the Fallen, shadow-dropped at The Game Awards and is currently available to download on PS5, while the second DLC, The Rising Tide, is scheduled to release sometime in 2024. The game’s producer Naoki Yoshida has now cleared the air about possible continuations, stating that the game will remain standalone and won’t feature a sequel or spin-off.
The Rising Tide expansion for Final Fantasy XVI will likely be the last bit of story content released for the game, bringing an end to the journey of protagonist Clive Rosfield. Speaking to Famitsu (via MP1st) in a recent interview, Yoshida expressed his desire to work on something new as opposed to a continuation of Final Fantasy XVI. The producer added that he doesn’t know if Square Enix will change its mind with plans to extend the story beyond the upcoming DLC.
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Yoshida stated in the interview:
“The development team for FF16 has been disbanded, except for the main DLC team, but at least we don’t envision us creating a sequel or spin-off to FF16. I have accumulated a lot of knowledge from FF16. Rather than continuing with one title forever, I would like to use that knowledge to consider new challenges, such as the next title.”
In the past, entries like Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy XIII received direct sequels, though this doesn’t seem to be the case for Final Fantasy XVI which will be a one-and-done project after The Rising Tide is released. Square Enix will presumably set its sights on developing the next major Final Fantasy game thereafter, though if the DLC proves to be popular enough, Yoshida is still leaving the door open for a potential continuation to happen.
Final Fantasy XVI is available for PS5. It won Best Score and Music at The Game Awards this year and received nominations for Best RPG and Best Performance (for Ben Starr as Clive).
