Final Fantasy XVI is going to break at least a couple of long-standing gaming trends. Speaking to Game Informer, Square Enix producer Naoki Yoshida said that the developers do not have any plans for additional downloadable content (DLC) at this time. Yoshida-san said it’s a ‘one-off game’ that asks for a premium price ($70), and Square Enix focused entirely on providing an experience worthy of such a cost.
Another reason is that they are not sure yet fans will love the world of Valisthea, the setting of Final Fantasy XVI, enough to demand DLCs. The studio would definitely like to expand the world they’ve just created, but that will only happen if users fall in love with Valisthea and the game’s main character, Clive Rosfield.
It still seems likely that some kind of DLCs will be eventually produced, as was the case with Final Fantasy XV and Final Fantasy VII Remake, but Square Enix is currently taking a wait-and-see approach. As such, it may be a while before it is released, given that the publisher is waiting to check the base game’s reception (and sales) first.
The second and perhaps most persistent gaming trend broken by Final Fantasy XVI is that of day-one patches. Game Director Hiroshi Takai confirmed to Game Informer that there’s no current plan to deliver such an update over the Internet. The main reason is that the developers are very confident with the final build of their game.
It makes sense, as FFXVI went gold almost three months before its scheduled launch date in one of the earliest gold announcements to date. The development went rather smoothly compared to Final Fantasy XV and Final Fantasy VII Remake; at some point, there were even rumors that the game could have been released in 2022.
Takai still said a day-one patch could happen if the team finds a last-minute bug that needs fixing. However, it would be great if Square Enix could deliver a polished version of Final Fantasy XVI right away. Nintendo recently did a similar thing with The Legend of Zelda: Tears of Kingdom, which could have been released last year but was delayed to ensure everything worked perfectly, and the result was excellent.
Final Fantasy XVI launches on June 22nd for PlayStation 5, with a PC version likely coming out at some point in 2024. Check out Kai’s final hands-on preview here.
