Taking Bets (FFXVII Release Date)

Continuing the tradition, but when are you expecting FFXVII to come out, if ever?

I am thinking 2028/29 with the announcement of its development sometime next year. Though personally, I hope that it come out after the third VIIR game as I feel the remake has largely killed the thunder of the numbered installments. I remember XV/Versus XIII finally getting a release window and no cared because that same E3 saw VIIR get announced. I felt something similar happened with XVI with SE dripping Rebirth content around the time XVI was supposed to be released. So please SE, do the right thing and don't release XVII until after you finish your stealth sequel trilogy for VII.

Really tricky to say as I feel like they'll be wary of taking attention away from the final chapter of the VIIR. I suspect they might even wait a good six to twelve months after VIIR3 release to announce it.

Then again, I also think that a IX Remake might be on the cards after VIIR, and if that is the case then it doesn't really make sense to delay XVII even after that, so perhaps they'll actually develop IXR and XVII in tandem - effectively pulling a 'Tales of' campaign of remakes of their older games alongside the newer games being developed. I'd be delighted if that happened. One of the bigger problems with FF as a franchise right now is the lengthy gap between releases. If they play their cards right, they could have a game coming out every 2 years, alternating remakes (and they don't need to be AU like VIIR has been) and main game releases. I don't feel like XVI needed 8 years of development. Waiting four years per major release can't be the strat...

EDIT: Oh, right, taking bets. Uhhh... despite all of what I said, you know, I really am going to be pessimistic here. That just means I'll be happy to be proven wrong (I hope - if it's even later then I'll... well, I'll be sad).

Development: Already being worked on in concept level at minimum.
Announcement: December 2027.
Release: June 2030. :(

I'm putting it all on Sunday. This Sunday.