A Final Fantasy 16 PS4 version was being considered at one point but never materialized. Now, producer Naoki Yoshida and combat director Ryoto Suzuki have explained why a PS4 release isn’t possible.
Final Fantasy 16 PS4 version would have held development back
Speaking to IGN, Suzuki said that if Final Fantasy 16 didn’t have the PS5’s SSD speed and memory, the game would have still been in development right now. The PS5’s power allows seamless battles simultaneously with beautiful graphics as well as fast loading – something that’s no longer possible on dated hardware without making compromises.
“While you’re battling Ifrit and Garuda and having that big battle, in the background, the PS5 is loading the next scene,” Yoshida told IGN. “You are graphically representing the fists and the claws and the wings [of the Eikon abilities] and all in real time and all in these beautiful graphics and having all of these different options,” added Suzuki.
Final Fantasy 16 was never announced for the PS4 but in a June 2022 interview, Yoshida said that he originally started developing the game with a view to releasing it on the last-gen console. However, he didn’t elaborate further at the time.
Final Fantasy 16 will release on June 22, 2023 as a timed PS5 exclusive.
