Although Final Fantasy 16 is still two months away from its long-awaited release, news of an upcoming launch event could coincide with a potential demo of the PS5 game. Square Enix’s announcement that Final Fantasy 16 will host a dedicated event ahead of the game’s official release ties in with the developer’s announcement.
After a dedicated State of Play broadcast on April 13, Final Fantasy XVI’s popularity on Amazon has skyrocketed. Pre-orders for Final Fantasy 16 surged as Final Fantasy 16 surpassed other popular titles such as Resident Evil 4 and Star Wars Jedi Knight : Survivor after the show aired. After the show aired, Final Fantasy 16 went viral on social media, with many players praising the game’s graphics, fast-paced combat and sound effects. While the game has gone gold, Square Enix wants to keep the momentum going.
Square Enix announced on social media that the Final Fantasy 16 launch event will take place on Sunday, June 11 at 3:00 pm PT in Los Angeles. However, June 11th is less than two weeks away from Final Fantasy 16’s planned release date of June 22nd. This is in line with what Final Fantasy 16 producer Naoki ‘Yoshi-P’ Yoshida said in an interview with Famitsu back in March, which was subsequently translated by Twitter user “aitaikimochi”. According to Yoshi-P, the development team wanted to release a demo of Final Fantasy 16 within two weeks of the game’s release to avoid the hype surrounding the game’s early release.
During State of Play, Yoshi-P showed viewers what to expect from Final Fantasy XVI. From the Eikon abilities that Clive can switch and use as needed, to the Eikon vs Eikon battles throughout the story, Final Fantasy 16 hopes to bring something new to the series while respecting the historical elements that have brought the series to where it is today.
As for the Final Fantasy 16 launch event itself, it also aligns with the window that traditionally takes place before E3 is canceled. However, with Summer Game Fest back, it’s unclear if Square Enix’s launch event will be part of Summer Game Fest, or if the timing is a coincidence. Square Enix will release more details about the Final Fantasy 16 launch event in the coming weeks.
The PS5 version of “Final Fantasy 16” will be released on June 22.