Final Fantasy XVI (FF16) will be exclusive to PlayStation 5 for six months after it launches this year, but that doesn’t mean it will come to PC right away afterward. Producer Naoki Yoshida explained at the Japanese PlayStation.Blog (via Wario64 and Google Translate) that a PC version isn’t expected to be finished by the time the timed-exclusivity period is up.
“First of all, it is true that Final Fantasy XVI is a six-month limited time exclusive on the PS5 platform,” Yoshida said per Google Translate. “However, it is a completely different story that the PC version will be released in half a year. I will make it clear, but the PC version will not come out in half a year.”
Yoshida went on to explain that a lot of development time was dedicated to optimizing the PS5 experience. He’s hoping to release a PC port at some point, but quite plainly, additional versions of FF16 have not been the priority for Square Enix. Even if the team were to start working on a PC version immediately after the PS5 version launches, they wouldn’t be able to release a stable port by the end of the exclusivity period.
“I would like to release it eventually, and I think I will, but I am not at the stage where I can say when,” Yoshida added. “First of all, I would be happy if you could play the PS5 version, which I made with the thought of being the best game in the world. If the PC version comes out in half a year, I can quit the company (laughs). Please don’t say, ‘I won’t buy the PS5 version because the PC version will be released in half a year.’”
While the news that FF16 won’t come to PC anytime soon is surely disappointing for fans, they can rest easy knowing the franchise is in caring hands. Yoshida clearly wants to prioritize quality over a quick release, so when the 16th mainline Final Fantasy title does eventually come to other platforms, we should expect to see a smooth release. Final Fantasy XVI on PS5, meanwhile, will launch June 22, so don’t expect to see it on PC in 2023.
