Final Fantasy XVI, the sixteenth numbered title (but far from the sixteenth game!) in the popular Final Fantasy series, is launching on June 22, 2023. The game, which is the first main series Final Fantasy to debut since 2016’s Final Fantasy XV, will initially release as a PlayStation 5 exclusive. Publisher Square Enix has already confirmed that the game will have a day one patch to improve performance, although they have described the patch as “not necessary to play the game.”
Final Fantasy XVI will combine a “segmented open world” with action-style combat sequences as it tells the story of new protagonist Clive Rosfield, who hails from the world of Valisthea. Valisthea is a brand-new setting created for this game, although it features some Final Fantasy staples like in-battle summons and rideable Chocobos. Clive, the son of the royal family of Rosaria, travels the world alongside various companions to stop a battle between Eikons – powerful beings who choose humans as their hosts – and track down Ifrit, a newly manifested Eikon.
Although the game is still a few days out from release, Square Enix has revealed the contents of the day one update. The full patch notes as published by Square Enix are listed below:
- Fix a control flag issue that can make progress impossible under very specific circumstances.
- Fix an issue wherein the game could close unexpectedly under very specific circumstances.
- Fix some minor text errors
- Optimize performance in several places
Get ready for Thursday's launch by pre-loading Final Fantasy XVI on PlayStation 5 now. #FF16 pic.twitter.com/UNStK6JCeJ
— FINAL FANTASY XVI (@finalfantasyxvi) June 20, 2023
Producer Naoki Yoshida announced this patch during a Final Fantasy XVI-centric livestream. He confirmed that the patch will be downloaded automatically for digital versions of the game, and that only people who purchase physical copies of the game would need to manually download it. Yoshida also stressed that the patch was not required for playing the game, as the issues it addressed were extremely minor and occurred rarely.
Square Enix apologized for this, stating that they did not want to make any pre-release or release day updates to the game. However, given that the issues addressed could “make progress impossible” and forcefully close the game under specific circumstances, it definitely seems that this day one update may be a necessary one to enjoy Final Fantasy XVI.
Are you looking forward to Final Fantasy XVI? Will you be playing on release day, or waiting a bit? Comment below and let us know!
