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Final Fantasy XVI producer Naoki Yoshida has revealed that the upcoming RPG won’t feature a large-scale open world structure.
Speaking to IGN, Yoshida revealed that the upcoming adventure may be something of a departure from the series’ norms. “We’ve found in our extensive user research that many of the younger generation of gamers have never played a Final Fantasy or don’t have any interest in the series.”
While Clive’s tale may take inspiration from other recent AAA RPGs, an open-world structure won’t be one of them. “To bring a story that feels like it spans an entire globe and beyond,” he said. “We decided to avoid an open world design that limits us to a single open world space, and instead focus on an independent area-based game design that can give players a better feel of a truly ‘global’ scale.”
In fact, the game’s world will be divided into six ‘realms’. Each of these nations is home to a ‘Dominant’ – a chosen person who has the power of Eikons. They’re the superpowered beings, similar to the traditional summons in other entries in the series.
These Eikons will be a crucial part of combat, Yohsida further revealed. “Eikons appear in many different situations and iterations. There is no one design concept that covers all of them. Some will face Clive as fierce enemies, some will be friends and come to Clive’s aid.” Yoshida also revealed that, at some points, the player will control an Eikon directly. We’ll have to wait and see how that plays out.
Final Fantasy XVI may not have an open world, but it did get a new trailer and a release window earlier this month. The game is set to arrive in Summer 2023, exclusively for the PlayStation 5.
