Final Fantasy XVI trailer reveals massive battles and summer 2023 window

Eikon-on-eikon fights are in store for next summer

Final Fantasy XVI re-emerged today to show off some new gameplay, and set a release window. Square Enix showed off a new trailer for the RPG and confirmed that Final Fantasy XVI is currently aiming for summer 2023.

The new trailer closed the show at today’s Sony State of Play, starting with a message from producer Naoki Yoshida. He thanked the fans for waiting so long, and said the team plans to reveal more about Final Fantasy XVI in upcoming interviews.

“And though the world finds itself in turmoil, we’ll continue to focus on what we do best—making games,” said Yoshida. “For if, through entertainment, we can provide people with something they can truly enjoy, maybe we can bring a little happiness in these hard times.”

The trailer shows many different famous Final Fantasy summons, brought forth by the Dominants as Eikons. That term might sound familiar to anyone who plays Final Fantasy XIV. It’s the same name that game uses to refer to famous deities that appear in Final Fantasy like Shiva, Ifrit, and Bahamut. In today’s trailer, we can see plenty, and it looks like they’ll fight too.

Alongside some action-heavy combat, it looks like players will also engage in massive primal battles. Kind of like giant kaiju fights, except with famous Final Fantasy summons. It looks pretty rad.

Eikonic

In a PlayStation blog entry, the team confirms that the combat will be split between those titanic clashes and on-the-ground fighting. The latter follows protagonist Clive Rosfield, as he unleashes a bunch of attacks and weapons. To me, it feels similar to the action-RPG style of Final Fantasy XV and Final Fantasy VII Remake from the trailer.

Final Fantasy XVI director Hiroshi Takai says the game is fully playable, from start to finish. However, there’s still much to do for optimization and brushing up. Right now, Square Enix is targeting a summer 2023 launch on PlayStation 5. Takai says the team will do its best to not keep fans waiting “too long” for the next update.