Rumor: Final Fantasy XVI may get an announcement sometime this summer

[Wolf Kanno]

As the title should clearly state, this is only a rumor and probably not even a very valid one. But I know I would be happy to learn that SE is working on a new installment so I can actually have something to look forward to in the future from them. Would you be excited, and what would you hope to see?

This article was amusing as well concerning what people are hoping for.

[Fynn]

At this point I absolutely doubt this will happen. If it’s true, through, I’m hella stoked

[JJ Strife]

I'd love it to be true, but I don't see how it can be really. Looking at the various teams within Square Enix, I don't see how they could have a AAA-level team working on this. They're all busy on other things.

The only possibilities are the guys who did FFXV, or the guys who've been working on FFXIV. In the case of the first lot, they only really finished FFXV last March because of all the DLC. And in the case of the second lot, I thought they were still working on more FFXIV expansions.

I don't think they have any more huge AAA teams. Their other 2 are working on FF7 Remake and Dragon Quest 12.

One possibility of course is that it's a Switch exclusive, and is therefore using a lower budget and smaller team? I'd love that really. If they did something more akin to the PS1 Final Fantasy games. A bit like Bravely Default but better.

[Lord Golbez]

I hate announcements about announcements. The worst was when people kept reporting about how maybe soon Sony would announce a date for revealing the PS5. It's such a nothing speculation. Even as rumors go, it's bland as anything. News that there will be news at a later date. Worse, only a rumor that there will be news at a later date.

[Wolf Kanno]

I'd love it to be true, but I don't see how it can be really. Looking at the various teams within Square Enix, I don't see how they could have a AAA-level team working on this. They're all busy on other things.

The only possibilities are the guys who did FFXV, or the guys who've been working on FFXIV. In the case of the first lot, they only really finished FFXV last March because of all the DLC. And in the case of the second lot, I thought they were still working on more FFXIV expansions.

I don't think they have any more huge AAA teams. Their other 2 are working on FF7 Remake and Dragon Quest 12.

One possibility of course is that it's a Switch exclusive, and is therefore using a lower budget and smaller team? I'd love that really. If they did something more akin to the PS1 Final Fantasy games. A bit like Bravely Default but better.

The XV crew were changed to a new production crew working on a new AAA title before Tabata resigned, they would only need a skeleton crew for DLC, not the whole team. XIV also just finished their newest expansion, so they would only need a small part to keep updating the title, not to mention XI's own team seems to have been downsized over time, so they have extra people for both crews. There is also the Ivalice team that has largely been doing stuff for XIV on the side and working on various projects. If worse comes to worse, they still have the SaGa team and the new Mana team as well to rope in talent. Not to mention they don't need all of the people from these groups, they could easily just hand select people and form a completely new team just for the title. So I wouldn't really say SE is hurting on development teams.

Yoshida, Ito, and even Kawazu and Tokita could all be lassoed into directing, though I imagine XVI will have a fresh face to direct. I'm getting the impression that some of the old guard are thinking of retiring or are opting to stay on smaller projects they have more creative control over, so they'll likely be pushing new people to take over.

[JJ Strife]

they would only need a skeleton crew for DLC, not the whole team.

That's what I'd thought originally, but there was definitely a comment in an interview where they said the vast majority of the main team were still there to make the DLC.

Some of that DLC was quite impressive. Ignis and Ardyn especially, so it's believable!

[Fynn]

DQ team is unlikely to have anything to do with it since they have always been a separate thing, since they used to be Enix. Plus, they’re all old geezers at this point, and DQ games come out fairly rarely, so it’s honestly hard to tell when they’ll even start working on the next one - that is, if there even is a next one.

[Wolf Kanno]

they would only need a skeleton crew for DLC, not the whole team.

That's what I'd thought originally, but there was definitely a comment in an interview where they said the vast majority of the main team were still there to make the DLC.

Some of that DLC was quite impressive. Ignis and Ardyn especially, so it's believable!

True that it was impressive, but from my understanding the DLC was mostly finished by the time they were being re-organized as Luminous Productions last year. So I figure they could have at least started pre-production for their next game since Tabata already mentioned they had a plan for it before he left. Honestly, I don't think the XV team is working on it. It seemed like the project they were working on was meant to be a new IP but it wouldn't be the first time SE hijacked one to place the FF moniker on it.

Even then, if this rumor was somehow true, I'd imagine the game would still be a few years off. Likely a 2023 release date assuming whoever is working on it only started work last year considering KHIII and VIIR were the high priority until now.

DQ team is unlikely to have anything to do with it since they have always been a separate thing, since they used to be Enix. Plus, they’re all old geezers at this point, and DQ games come out fairly rarely, so it’s honestly hard to tell when they’ll even start working on the next one - that is, if there even is a next one.

Considering DQXI was fairly successful, I assume they are already working on the next entry. It also looks like Horii and his old crew have found some competent people to hand the reins over to in case anyone dies. Considering XI started development in 2013 and was released in 2017 (Japan at least) that would mean they could have started already in 2018 while the international release was being rolled out since it looks like Horii takes a year off after a release.

Back on topic:

I'm really hoping that either Ito, Yoshida, or some new face is working on the next entry. The best thing about the VII remake for me is that it has kept Nojima and especially Toriyama busy and away from another number installment. I'd love a new game from the Ivalice team and Ito, but I'm up for a brand new team or one from the top designers from XIV taking a crack at it as long as it. My biggest concern is that they make it into an MMO entry seeing how XI and XIV are both hitting their 20th and ten year anniversary marks and are profitable as hell.

[Depression Moon]

I hope it doesn't. If it gets announced this year I feel like it's going to be repeat of VII Remake and XV where they were revealed too early and then we be waiting for a long ass time.

[Lord Golbez]

I don't know if they're already working on the next DQ game, but it's pretty hard to imagine there won't be another entry at some point. DQ is a big series (at least in Japan) and while it's releases are more infrequent than FF games, it's still been continuously running since NES days, even if main numbered entries sometimes skip a generation at this point. This isn't like Suikoden, Breath of Fire, or the like. It's not going to be forgotten about easily. Even ifntheu went over a decade without a new one (which I doubt will happen), they'll definitely be compelled to come back to it at some point.

[Fynn]

I don't know if they're already working on the next DQ game, but it's pretty hard to imagine there won't be another entry at some point. DQ is a big series (at least in Japan) and while it's releases are more infrequent than FF games, it's still been continuously running since NES days, even if main numbered entries sometimes skip a generation at this point. This isn't like Suikoden, Breath of Fire, or the like. It's not going to be forgotten about easily. Even ifntheu went over a decade without a new one (which I doubt will happen), they'll definitely be compelled to come back to it at some point.

The main issue is that all of the three core members that have been responsible for every single installment in the series are pretty much integral to DQ’s identity - especially in Japan where they’re treated with reverence and there’s a strong sentiment of “only the creator does it right”. And the problem here is that they’re really old, with the composer, Koichi Sugiyama, being the oldest at 90 Next year. Needless to say, they most likely don’t have the ten years to work on a next installment and they’ve all mentioned how tired they were and honestly, they deserve the rest.

Of course, as WK said, they’ve most likely already found some successors to take on the mantle, but that doesn’t change the fact that DQ will change because of it and I expect many may dismiss it outright for just not being made by the same people. DQXII has incredibly big boots to fill and I imagine it will do a lot in terms of determining the future of that series.

[Wolf Kanno]

I mean Horii had a co-designer for DQIX and X and he had two additional writers for the last few entries. Horii is also only 66, so he's not going to drop dead in the next five years unless he has a health crisis. XII will likely be Sugiyama's last game, assuming he doesn't just retire from composing between now and the game's release. Toriyama is also a damn vampire like Hirohiko Araki, have you seen him? Man still looks like he's in his early forties at the most and he's a year younger than Horii. I seriously wonder if Japan is sacrificing their newborns to keep their media personalities eternally young. Would explain all of their freakish good looks and Japan's low birth rate...

I don't see Horii retiring anytime soon, and Toriyama seems to have found a good lifestyle he enjoys and also has his own protege helping him with Dragon Ball Super. So I'm not really worried about DQ's future. If anything, new blood for the series may hurt it for Japan's die hard crowd, but it may also improve the series international standing. I'm more worried about us not seeing a numbered FF within the next decade seeing how VIIR will likely be the companies focus between expansions for XIV. At the way things are looking over at SE, I may see Mana 5 or Romancing SaGa 4 before I see FFXVI.

[Fynn]

I’m pretty sure Sugiyama won’t be scoring another DQ game. XI’s soundtrack was so short - and arguably poor in quality - with like, more than a half of the actual in-game music coming from previous titles. Dude’s obviously tired at this point.

[Shiva95]

I hope they will concentrate on FFVII Remake before, to be honest. Too often, they announced their project too early, so I hope it won't be the case.

[Fynn]

Oh no, SE learned nothing. They will very definitely announce XVI too early, whenever that happens