Final Fantasy XVI

Recently Square Enix has released the first after launch patch for Final Fantasy XVI, version 1.03. This patch fixes some issues and adds some new functionality.

Below you can find the patch notes:

This update fixes some issues and adds some new functionality. We recommend that you install this update before playing the game.

This update:

• Adds the following items to the System tab of the Main Menu:
  • Motion Blur Strength – Allows the player to adjust the strength of the motion blur effect when the character or camera is in motion. The default setting is the maximum of 5. This can be lowered to reduce the strength of the motion blur effect, or set to 0 to turn it off completely.
  • Player Follow (Movement)
  • Player Follow (Attack) – Turning these settings off prevents the camera from automatically following the player while moving and attacking respectively.
• Changes the maximum setting of the Camera Sensitivity (Horizontal) and Camera Sensitivity (Vertical) items from 10 to 20.
• Adds three new controller layouts: types D, E, and F.
• Corrects an issue that affected the stability of some menus.
• Corrects some text issues.
• Adds the hashtag #FF16 when sharing screenshots or video clips on Twitter or YouTube.

Recenlty Square Enix also announced that Final Fantasy XVI has sold over 3 million copies.

During the Final Fantasy XVI Pre-Launch Celebration live event that was streamed yesterday Square Enix has announced that Final Fantasy XVI will actually be getting a day one patch.

The patch will be around 300 MB and will contain the following fixes and optimizations:

• Fix a control flag issue which can make progress impossible under very specific circumstances;
• Fix an issue wherein the game could close unexpectedly under very specific circumstances;
• Optimize performance in several places;
• Fix some minor text errors.

At first the development team said that they've worked hard to release the game without a day one patch for which they apologised during the live event.

Also during the live event producer Naoki Yoshida mentioned that the game was initially planned to ship on two discs, but about six months before the release the development team they managed to fit the game on one disc to reduce production costs.

Final Fantasy XVI will be released on 22 June 2023 exclusively on PlayStation 5. In Japan digital billboards will be on display starting tomorrow and also the below TV commercial will be aired.

Today the month of June has started and there are only 3 weeks left until the release of Final Fantasy XVI. As promised earlier, a demo will be available prior to the launch.

It seems that users on Reddit has noticed that the demo has appeared on the PlayStation Store, when you are using the mobile app. I can not reproduce it here, but it is possible that you need to have pre-ordered the game  to make it appear.

Most likely the demo will be available during or after the Final Fantasy XVI pre-launch event that will take place in Los Angeles on 11 June 2023 that will be live streamed.

PlayStation State of Play, that was streamed yesterday, was entirely focused on Final Fantasy XVI showing more than 20 minutes of gameplay footage from the game. The stream was presented by Naoki Yoshida, the producer of Final Fantasy XVI.

You can check out the Final Fantasy XVI State of Play video below. Please note that it may contain spoilers.

During the stream Naoki Yoshida announced that the main theme of the game titled Tsuki Wo Miteita - Moongazing was written and performed by recording artist Kenshi Yonezu.

Worlds cannot express the impact Final Fantasy has had on my life. I never thought or imagined that I would ever receive an opportunity like this. I wrote this song especially for this game.
Thank you.

— Kenshi Yonezu

When I found out that we'd be able to work with Yonezu-san, I was not only surprised, but overjoyed.

I'm a big dan of Yonezu's work, and I know that he has a passion for creating music that resonates across the generations, so I was sure that he'd be able to capture the world, the story, and the themes of FFXVI.

He's not only an amazing artist, but also a avid gamer and a FF fan, so please look forward to hearing this theme song.

— Naoki Yoshida

The theme song teaser video can be viewed here.

Final Fantasy XVI is the first true action-RPG in the series and tells the story of Clive Rosfield and takes place in the realm of Valisthea. Clive’s Hideout, which serves as his base camp throughout the game, was revealed at State of Play. Final Fantasy XVI will be released on 22 June 2023 exclusively on PlayStation 5. A PC version will follow in the future.