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Final Fantasy XVI's Early Sales Figures Are Its Latest Battleground
7.7.2023
I did not expect Final Fantasy XVI to be one of the year’s biggest lightning rods for gaming controversy but here we are. The Square Enix action-RPG hasn’t even been out a full month, and fans are already losing it over how well the game may have sold. It’s already crossed 3 million copies shipped...
Producer Of Netflix's Pluto Anime Says Now Is Perfect Time To Adapt The Acclaimed Manga
2.7.2023
During Anime Expo, I spoke with Masao Maruyama, producer of Netflix’s upcoming Astro Boy-inspired anime, Pluto. We spoke about the pressure his studio felt in adapting one of the most critically praised and best-selling manga of the 2000s, as well as his thoughts on how the kinds...
Get Every Final Fantasy XIV Expansion For Dirt Cheap Right Now
30.6.2023
As we near the 10-year anniversary of Final Fantasy XIV’s transformative A Realm Reborn reboot, there’s perhaps never been a better time to hop into the only blockbuster MMORPG to rival World of Warcraft’s popularity and resilience. And it’s never been cheaper to do so thanks to a whopping...
Final Fantasy XVI Has Fans Wondering What The RPG Series Is (And Should Be)
26.6.2023
The first Final Fantasy came out in 1987. Ever since, each new game in the beloved role-playing series has pushed it to grow, change, and often subvert fans’ expectations of what it can be. Final Fantasy XVI might be the biggest test yet, in some ways harkening back to the medieval world-building...
Final Fantasy XVI's RPG Elements Are Barely There
23.6.2023
For three decades the Final Fantasy franchise has been known for reinventing itself, whether it’s the cyberpunk-esque stylings of Final Fantasy VII or the push into online multiplayer with Final Fantasy XI. The next watershed moment for the franchise is here, with Final Fantasy XVI trying to push...
All Of The Internet’s Urgent Final Fantasy XVI Questions, Answered
21.6.2023
You could think of Final Fantasy XVI as just the latest in a line of many games developer Square Enix made to re-energize its now almost 40-year-old series. But unlike many of those other titles, which fans and developers alike have said struggled to invigorate the franchise (despite its still...
Final Fantasy XVI: The Kotaku Review
21.6.2023
A bold and risky pivot toward action for Square Enix’s beloved RPG franchise, Final Fantasy XVI is a stunning achievement that revitalizes the series for a new age—and it just may be the best the series has been in more than 20 years.Read more
Final Fantasy XVI Producer Suggests PC Players Should Just 'Buy A PS5'
10.1.2023
Final Fantasy XVI, the upcoming installment in the long-running JRPG series, drops on June 22 as a PlayStation 5 exclusive. That exclusivity is a bit of a bummer as other Final Fantasy games, such as Final Fantasy VII Remake, were also available on PC. And the last mainline entry, Final Fantasy...
We Need To Start Holding Japanese RPGs To Higher Standards
9.11.2022
I had one hell of a weekend. After I published my piece on Final Fantasy producer Naoki Yoshida’s misguided comments about the next game’s overwhelming whiteness, the fans completely lost their minds. Sure, I saw the usual slurs and petty insults. But those weren’t the comments that stuck to...
Final Fantasy XVI Dev Has A Terrible Answer For Why The Game Is So White
4.11.2022
Two weeks ago, Square Enix released a new story trailer for its upcoming RPG, Final Fantasy XVI. There’s just one noticeable problem—there doesn’t seem to be a single non-white character in it. So IGN asked producer Naoki Yoshida about whether or not the game would feature any Black people or other...
Final Fantasy Producer Naoki Yoshida Says The Series Is ‘Struggling’
17.8.2022
Final Fantasy XVI’s producer Naoki Yoshida was very candid about the current state of Final Fantasy. In a recent interview with Inverse, he said that the long-running RPG series was not very adaptable to sea changes in the gaming industry.Read more
Final Fantasy XVI Will Be Darker And More Mature, Says Producer
22.6.2022
Final Fantasy XVI producer Naoki Yoshida said in recent interviews that the latest entry in the long-running JRPG series will tackle “more mature” themes than its predecessors.Read more
Final Fantasy XIV Devs Brainstormed A Battle Royale Mode That Sounds Fun As Hell
7.6.2022
During a recent interview with Gamer, a prominent Japanese gaming website, Final Fantasy XIV producer Naoki Yoshida let slip that his team was at one point mulling the possibility of adding a competitive battle royale to the online role-playing game. It sounds like it’d be a whole lot of...
Final Fantasy XVI Finally Shows Off Gameplay, Coming Next Year
3.6.2022
As a part of the PlayStation State of Play 2022, Square Enix showed off a gameplay trailer for the upcoming PS5 roleplaying game, Final Fantasy XVI. While the exact release date isn’t set, the game is currently slated to come out sometime in the summer of 2023.Read more
Superstar Final Fantasy XIV Producer’s First Square Enix Game Was Canceled
19.5.2022
Naoki Yoshida, the man often credited with turning Final Fantasy XIV around after the MMO’s miserable launch and who is now in charge of bringing the upcoming Final Fantasy XVI to life, wasn’t always the superstar we know him as today. In fact, the higher-ups at Square Enix canceled Yoshida’s very...
Final Fantasy XIV Players Sent To In-Game Jail As Devs Mull Mod Controversy
12.5.2022
At least two Final Fantasy XIV players pulled into an in-game jail by moderators while streaming the massively multiplayer online game this week. Many believe this was done to reprimand them for using third-party modifications to optimize HUD details for high-level raiding, a frequent pain point...
Final Fantasy XIV Mod Drama May Prompt Official HUD Upgrades, Director Says
9.5.2022
As part of a larger blog reiterating the Final Fantasy XIV team’s disapproval of mods following their prevalence in a high-profile raid event, producer and director Naoki Yoshida promised to improve the massively popular game’s HUD to match the functionality of these unofficial tools.Read more
Final Fantasy XIV’s Newest Raid Is Blowing Everyone’s Minds
28.4.2022
Final Fantasy XIV’s latest update saw Square Enix give serious players a new “ultimate” raid to conquer. The last few days have been a whirlwind as groups try to be the first to complete the raid, known as Dragonsong’s Reprise, and new developments concerning the potential revival of a dearly...
Final Fantasy XIV's Director Is Asking You Not To Be Jerks
28.4.2022
Final Fantasy XIV recently introduced a new 5v5 player-vs-player mode called Crystalline Conflict. And while for the most part it seems to be going just fine, and folks are happy with it, the team behind the game aren’t as happy with some people’s behaviour in the mode, and so have taken the time...
Sony’s Next State Of Play Could Show Final Fantasy XVI, Maybe, Probably Not
8.3.2022
Sony’s next State of Play livestream showcasing games for the PlayStation 5 will take place Wednesday, March 9, the company announced today. It didn’t say what will be shown, but Sony did tease new reveals and updates from “beloved Japanese publishers.” Are we finally getting a release date...