Development of Final Fantasy XVI is almost six months behind schedule

The development of Final Fantasy XVI is six months behind schedule. Due to the corona pandemic, Square Enix developers are working from home a lot, which has caused communication problems. The developer will announce more in the spring.

Final Fantasy XVI producer Naoki Yoshida says on Twitter that communication with the Tokyo office has been disrupted due to working from home. This in turn has caused communication problems with external partners. Due to these problems with the external partners, certain assets were delivered late, or ‘in extreme cases’ cancelled.

Yoshida says a lot of work has been done this year to improve those communication issues and “hopes the impact will be minimized next year.” However, the problems have now ensured that the development of the game is almost half a year behind schedule. It is not clear what that plan is; a release date was never mentioned. Next year, the producer wants to look at the refinement of the graphics, combat and cutscenes.

When it was unveiled in September 2020, it was said that more would be revealed about the game in 2021. That deadline is now not being met. Yoshida now says that a “big reveal” is due in the spring of 2022, with more information about the game to be announced. The producer apologizes for the delay.