2023 is primed to be a huge year for several big IPs in the video game industry, none more so thanFinal Fantasy. The popular JRPG series is considered by many to be one of the finest in its genre and has produced many critically-acclaimed titles throughout its 35-year history. Next year should see two huge new entries in theFinal Fantasyfranchise, with bothFinal Fantasy 16andFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthscheduled for 2023 releases. Both titles are highly anticipated and have the potential to be among the best games released next year.
Final Fantasy 16tells a brand-new storyand returns to a classic high-fantasy medieval setting. The game will be heavily action-orientated and feature a brand-new combat system that producer Naoki Yoshida has hinted probably won’t please everyone, especially fans of more traditional turn-basedFinal Fantasytitles.Final Fantasy 7 Rebirthwill pick up whereFinal Fantasy 7 Remakeleft off, continuing the story of Cloud Strife and his friends, in their battle to save the planet from the evil Sephiroth.
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When to Expect Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and FF16 News in 2023
Square Enix currently has several games at different stages of development. In the months leading toFF16’s June release, fans should expect to see more trailers showcasing the game’s combat and story. Considering E3 takes place just a week before the game’s release date, it should be safe to assume most of Square Enix’s marketing for the title will be done earlier than this, and an early-year PlayStation Showcase would allow the perfect opportunity for fans to get a closer look at the game.
Fans ofFF7who are desperately waiting for updates onRebirthmay find themselves waiting a little longer, as the game is likely to take a backseat while the bulk ofFF16’s marketing happens in the first half of 2023.Square Enix can be notoriously hit-and-miss when it comes to its marketing campaigns, so it’s difficult to say exactly how it will handleRebirth’s marketing. E3 may provide the perfect opportunity to properly reveal the game on a global stage. Much also depends on the game’s eventual release, which currently has a loose ‘Winter 2023’ release date.
Everything Revealed So Far About Final Fantasy 16
Despite the franchise’s history being deeply rooted in the turn-based genre, more recent entries have begun to transition to more modern, real-time action, specifically withFinal Fantasy 15andFF7 Remake. With the latter in particular, fans of the series were almost unanimous in their agreement that developer Square Enix struck a winning formula.Final Fantasy 16is seemingly taking this a step further, and it remains to be seen just how far toward a full-on action game Yoshida and his team will push the title. He is keen to ensure thatFinal Fantasystays relevant for a younger audience, not just catering to its long-standing fans, and feels tweaking the combat mechanics is one of the best ways to achieve this.
Trailers have shown off intense, action-orientated combat, with protagonist Clive using a wide range of skills and abilities as he cuts his way through some of the franchise’s classic enemies. The game’s narrative is set to be one of the most personal in the franchise to date, with Clive facing severe hardship right from the outset, andthe world of Valisthea, which has majorFinal Fantasy 12Ivalice vibes, is in political turmoil.
Much of the focus seems to be on Dominants, special individuals who can wield the power of Eikons, or summons as veteranFinal Fantasyfans would know them. The story itself will span three periods of Clive’s life, from his teens to his 30s. Visually stunning, the game seems to betaking full advantage of the PS5’s hardware capabilities, and it’s easy to see why it won’t be available on last-gen consoles.
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The Possibility of Final Fantasy 16 DLC
Final Fantasy 16’s release will be the franchise’s first mainline entry in six years, the longest gap in its decade-spanning history. The gaming world moves at a fast pace, and the landscape today looks significantly different from six years ago. While DLC was previously seen as nothing more than a nice little bonus, in today’s climate, it’s almost expected thatevery high-profile video game will have DLC. Square Enix has devoted a lot of time and attention to this stunning new world, so DLC seems rather inevitable. However, none of the revealed pre-order editions include any future DLC, and there has been no word from Square Enix on this front, so it can’t be said for sure.
Everything Revealed So Far About Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
The success ofFinal Fantasy 7 Remakelaunched the world ofFinal Fantasy 7back into the mainstream spotlight and sent anticipation for its two sequels through the roof. Square Enix did such a marvelous job in modernizing the game while staying true to its roots, that the pressure forRebirthto be bigger and better is huge. Precious little has been revealed so far though, with only a first-look trailer showing a few seconds of footage coupled with some voice-overs from charactersCloud and Aerith. Fans have much more questions than answers at the moment, and much of the game remains a mystery.
With so much ofFinal Fantasy 7’s narrative ground left to cover in theRemake’s two sequels, it isn’t known how far into the story Rebirth will go. No longer confined to the slums of Midgar, many gamers feel thatFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthshould be open-world, allowing for a much larger scope and scale this time around.The return of Zack Fair, who died in the original game’s timeline but is confirmed to be alive in the new one, should also spice things up, and fans will be keen to see exactly how he fits into this new story. With major events and locations still left to cover, such as the Gold Saucer, the Temple of the Ancients, Aerith’s possible death, and the battle with the planet’s weapons,Rebirthis set to be an action-packed blockbuster.
Will Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Be Delayed?
When quizzed recently forupdates onFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth, producer Yoshinori Kitase teased updates would come ‘When the timing is right’, and this can be taken in a couple of ways. It may be that Square Enix is choosing to keep its cards close to its chest withRebirth, instead focusing onFinal Fantasy 16, a strategy that makes sense considering it is only six months away. Once that releases in June,Rebirthshould take center stage as the marketing and hype ramp up toward a possible end-of-year release. Conversely,Rebirthmay be much earlier in its development journey than fans think, and the lack of footage so far could simply be because the game isn’t ready to properly reveal itself yet. This would make a delay likely, so fans should be fully braced for the possibility of a delay leading to a 2024 release.
Final Fantasy 16releases on July 28, 2025, for PS5.Final Fantasy 7 Rebirthreleases on PS5 in Winter 2023.
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