Square Enix has announced that due to the lingering effects of Covid-19 around the world, Final Fantasy XVI has been delayed by quite a sizable amount – almost 6 months. Depending on when it was supposed to be released, this could very well push the game into 2023.

The announcement was made by none other than Naoki Yoshida himself, producer of the game and more famously known as Yoshi-P, the man responsible for the success being enjoyed by Final Fantasy XIV.

Yoshida says that “In an effort to offset the effects of Covid-19, we’ve had to decentralize that workforce by permitting staff to tackle their assignments from home. This has unfortunately hampered communication from the Tokyo office which, in turn, has led to delays in – or in extreme cases, cancellations of – asset deliveries from our outsource partners.”

A bulk of the time spent this year was focused on addressing this issue so that its effects will be minimized in the new year. That said, Yoshida’s team is to put full focus on the game and be as hands-on with it as possible to “see it fully polished.”

Yoshida also mentioned that the general public can expect more news about Final Fantasy XVI in Spring 2021, which will be considered as a “big reveal” in terms of the information being shared. We can probably expect a gameplay trailer by then, and maybe even a clearer release window.

Back in June, it was reported that development was going well and that the English voice recording is almost complete.

Are you expecting Final Fantasy XVI to still meet a 2022 release or do you think it will be pushed back to 2023?