Final Fantasy 16‘s director Hiroshi Takai has said it’s “possible” and “probably even likely” that future series entries will launch day one on PC, rather than further down the road from their console counterparts.
In conversation with GamesRadar+, Takai spoke about Final Fantasy 16’s upcoming PC debut, and the time between its arrival and the PS5 release. Final Fantasy 16 first released as a PlayStation console exclusive last year, with the PC version promised when it was ready.
“Naturally, we wanted to get the PC version into players’ hands as quickly as we possibly could,” Takai told the publication. “We don’t get anything out of delaying its release either.”
“I don’t think there’s much more we could have done to speed up the porting process,” Takai continued, adding the time taken to get the PC version up to snuff was “time well spent”.
When asked if future Final Fantasy games could perhaps see a day one PC release, Takai said: “I think it’s possible – probably even likely.” He did caveat this point though, saying “the team in charge of each project gets to decide its own policy”, so this was “just [his] personal opinion”.
The director went on to address some of the recent bumps Square Enix‘s PC ports have faced on release. You may recall, on its own PC debut, Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade was criticised for its performance. Digital Foundry contributor Oliver Mackenzie called it a “flawed, barebones release” that was “nowhere near good enough”.
However, Takai said Square Enix “always listens to player feedback and bears it in mind”.
“Since we want as many players as possible to enjoy our game, we made sure to address any points that could be perceived negatively,” he said. “Of course, it’s not just feedback from FF16 players that we listen to, but from other games, too.”
Final Fantasy 16 is set to arrive on PC next month, on 17th September. The game will arrive as a complete edition, including all DLC: Echoes of the Fallen and The Rising Tide. If you are interested in giving it a go, there is a demo available now.
