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Final Fantasy 16 Includes Surprising Online Feature
Final Fantasy 16 Includes Surprising Online Feature,In another round of media interviews, the developers of Final Fantasy 16 discuss the upcoming title, including a surprise online feature for the game.

Final Fantasy 16 Includes Surprising Online Feature

Though a few months remain until the release of Final Fantasy 16, the development team at Square Enix has made the rounds promoting the game across media outlets. In a recent interview with Japanese media, the director and producer of Final Fantasy 16 revealed that the game will feature online connectivity and elaborated on what that feature will entail when the game launches.

As one of the most-anticipated and most cinematic games of 2023, Final Fantasy 16 is being developed by Creative Business Unit 3, the team behind the critically-acclaimed Final Fantasy 14. With Naoki "Yoshi-P" Yoshida acting as the game producer for both these titles, Final Fantasy fans have been both excited and anxious for the next entry in Square Enix's best-selling series. A few weeks ago, fans got a glimpse of what to expect in Final Fantasy 16 via the release of press-exclusive demo footage across multiple outlets. Recently, Japanese media got to ask two developers some questions about the upcoming title.

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On Twitter, Aitai Japan CEO Audrey Lamsam translated a Famitsu magazine interview with both Yoshida and Final Fantasy 16 game director Hiroshi Takai, which was featured in the March 30 issue. According to the translated notes, Final Fantasy 16 will feature online leaderboards for a combat-focused mode which will pit players against a vast number of foes and see how they fare against other players around the world. The online feature has been compared to the Bloody Palace from the Devil May Cry series, which Final Fantasy 16's combat has taken inspiration from under the direction of lead combat designer Ryota Suzuki. Prior to his time at Square Enix, Suzuki was a combat designer for Capcom's Devil May Cry 5 and Dragon's Dogma.

The Famitsu interview also confirmed the expected length of time that Final Fantasy 16 will take to beat, as Yoshida reiterated that the main story could take players approximately 35 hours to beat. However, that time can double if side quests and other forms of content are considered, which could bring the total to over 70 hours for fans that want to experience everything Final Fantasy 16 will have to offer. The game is also stated to include over 11 hours of cutscenes, which does not include cutscenes that occur during combat as part of quick-time events that players will have to keep an eye out for.

However, fans that want to see what else Yoshida has to say will have a chance in the coming days. Next Saturday, March 25, Yoshida will be joined by localization lead Michael-Christopher Koji Fox at a Final Fantasy 16 panel at PAX East in Boston. With just three months to go until the game's release, it remains to be seen how much more excitement Final Fantasy fans can take before then.

Final Fantasy 16 will launch on June 22, exclusively for PS5.

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