With the epic Final Fantasy 16 now complete and Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth due to arrive in early 2024, fans of the mainline Final Fantasy series will be excitedly looking to the future for Final Fantasy 17.
While most games in the series share some common DNA, all mainline games in the Final Fantasy series adhere to their own stories and exist within their own self-contained adventures.
With that in mind, fans of Clive Rossfield’s exploits in Valisthea may be disappointed that, based on the series history, a direct sequel to the events of Final Fantasy 16 is unlikely.
One thing we can be sure of is that with the ongoing popularity of the series, a new entry is almost guaranteed.
We’ve scanned the Farplane, trudged across Midgar and scooted around Zanarkand to bring you all the Final Fantasy 17 rumours and speculation so far.
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Everything We Know About Final Fantasy 17
In an interview with GQ, Final Fantasy 16 Producer Naoki Yoshida revealed that he’d already had conversations with the higher-ups at Square-Enix about dropping the numbering of series entries entirely.
‘You get a new player coming in and it’s like, “Wait a minute, why do I have to play Final Fantasy 14 if 16 is out?” Why don’t we just call it Final Fantasy Online – just get rid of the number altogether, and that’ll make it easier to understand.’
Could this be confirmation from Yoshida that Final Fantasy 16 will be the final numbered game in the series?
What Can We Expect From Final Fantasy 17?
Final Fantasy has slowly been moving away from its turn-based roots ever since Final Fantasy 12 removed random encounters and introduced the ability to move freely around the battlefield.
The combat of Final Fantasy 16 drew universal acclaim, helped in no small part, by the involvement of Devil May Cry 5 combat director, Ryota Suzuki. The action-based battles have entirely replaced the turn-based skirmishes of older games in the series and it is likely that Final Fantasy 17 will build upon those foundations.
One of the major criticisms levelled against Final Fantasy 16 was the lack of gameplay variety, side quests and mini-games that the series is known for. It is therefore expected that Final Fantasy 17 will include a more diverse suite of ways for players to get their kicks in the future.
What Platforms Will Final Fantasy 17 Be Available On?
Square-Enix have shown a slight bias towards launching games on PlayStation of late. Final Fantasy VII: Remake and Final Fantasy 16 have both been console exclusive releases and Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, the second in the proposed Final Fantasy VII remake trilogy, is also confirmed to only appear on Sony’s console.
While Final Fantasy 16 has been a critical success, the reaction to the long-awaited release from Square-Enix has been mixed. After selling over 3m copies in its first week, Square-Enix released a statement to IGN that confirmed sales were ‘extremely strong’ despite a smaller install base with a lower adoption rate of PS5 consoles.
By comparison however, the games predecessor, Final Fantasy 15 achieved over 5 million units within the first 24 hours of going on sale, and was not a console exclusive, releasing on PS4 and Xbox One simultaneously.
With Xbox head-honcho Phil Spencer taking the stage at this year’s Final Fantasy Fan Fest in Las Vegas to announce that Final Fantasy 14 will finally be available on Microsoft’s consoles, it’s a safe bet that Final Fantasy 17 will release across Xbox and PlayStation consoles.
When Will Final Fantasy 17 Be Released?
With Final Fantasy 16 taking 8 years from initial conception to release, it’s safe to assume that we won’t be seeing a Final Fantasy 17 until at least 2030.
While there currently isn’t a confirmed release date (or announcement for that matter) of Final Fantasy 17, we can look to the most recent Final Fantasy releases for clues on when to expect the next mainline Final Fantasy.
Final Fantasy 16 was officially announced in September 2020 and released worldwide on the 22nd June 2023. Initial development on Final Fantasy 16 began as developer Creative Business Unit III completed work on Final Fantasy XIV expansion, Heavensward, in 2015.
Creative Business Unit III are expected to take the reins of the next mainline Final Fantasy game after the success of Final Fantasy 16. It’s not implausible that conceptual work has begun on Final Fantasy 17, although the majority of the team will currently be engaged with work on the two announced DLC expansions and porting the game to PC.
What Is Final Fantasy?
Final Fantasy is a series of JRPGs (Japanese Role-Playing Games) produced by Square-Enix (formerly Square/Squaresoft).
There are numerous common threads that persist throughout the Final Fantasy series despite each mainline entry being its own self-contained experience.
Themes of environmentalism and rebellions against oppression are common and often told through the perspective of determined heroes looking to right a wrong.
Magic and traditional weaponry often go hand in hand with advanced technology and mysticism in Final Fantasy, with crystal and their magical powers often being central to the plot of each game.
How Many Final Fantasy Games Are There?
The mainline Final Fantasy series consists of 16 games, starting with the original Final Fantasy that released in 1987 and culminating in 2023’s Final Fantasy 16.
The mainline series are primarily epic, single player RPGs with the exception of Final Fantasy 11 and Final Fantasy 14 that transported the series to MMO realms.
The sixteen numbered games are just the tip of Shiva’s Diamond Dust however, with over 100 Final Fantasy titles released to date. There are spin-offs and sequels, racing games, beat ‘em ups and even kart racing games. The range of Final Fantasy games extends across multiple console generations including handhelds and even mobile.
Final Fantasy also appears across countless other mediums. From TV shows and films, to manga and card games, Final Fantasy is everywhere!
What Is The Best Final Fantasy Game?
We’d cast our vote for Final Fantasy X as the best Final Fantasy game because of its gorgeous graphics, thoughtful combat, compelling storyline, loveable characters and heartfelt (if a little cheesy) voice acting.
Still, this is a big question without a definitive answer. Many players believe the first Final Fantasy game they played to be the best game in the long running series. Metacritic ranks Final Fantasy IX above all others but then it’s impossible to deny the cultural impact of the original Final Fantasy or, indeed, the ever-popular Final Fantasy VII.
Retro Dodo’s own Seb Santabarbara curated our 10 Best Final Fantasy Games Of All Time list and every game on that list is worthy of your time.
What Is The Best Selling Final Fantasy Game?
The best-selling Final Fantasy game of all time is the original version of Final Fantasy VII, with over 14 million copies sold.
The Final Fantasy series has sold in excess of 180 million units worldwide. Several of the games in the series are considered best-selling games with their sales reaching into the tens of millions.
When Will Final Fantasy 17 Be Out?
We expect Final Fantasy to drop sometime after 2030 judging by the previous release date patterns.
So, you better spend a lot of time finding all of those secrets in the previous games to pass the time!
Theo first fell in love with gaming when he sped through Green Hill Zone in Sonic the Hedgehog back in 1991. Theo has previously provided reviews, news coverage and articles for The Games Cabin and enjoyed producing comedic Let’s Plays on his own personal YouTube channels.
A huge Kingdom Hearts and Metal Gear fan, Theo enjoys deep gameplay mechanics and complex storylines. A completionist by nature, Theo has earned over 140 platinum trophies including top digital trinkets for Stardew Valley, The Witness, Bloodborne and a plethora of GTA games.
Outside of gaming, Theo can often be found riding his motorbike, headbanging at gigs or out in the countryside exploring nature and marvelling at the ‘realistic graphics’.
