The announcement of a new Final Fantasy could happen next week, as a deleted tweet is hinting at a reveal at the PS5 showcase. The most recent entry in the mainline series was Final Fantasy XV, which was released in 2016, as Square Enix has been busy with other projects related to the franchise. However, it was followed up by this year's massively successful Final Fantasy VII Remake, whose cliffhanger ending has only left JRPG players wanting more.
As for those other time-consuming ventures, Final Fantasy XIV is one of the most popular games in the series with both fans and critics alike. The fact that the game is an MMO means that it receives regular content updates and provides a constant stream of revenue for Square Enix, so it takes a lot of the company's focus. The other major project that is taking up Square Enix's time is the sequel to Final Fantasy 7 Remake, which had its development impacted by the pandemic. As such, it's not surprising that players still haven't heard anything about the next mainline entry in the series.
Sony has announced a PS5 Showcase taking place on September 16, which is expected to include a price, release date, and new exclusives for the system. It's also highly possible that Final Fantasy XVI or another title will be announced at this event; according to Twitter fan page PS5Countdown, Final Fantasy brand manager Shinji Hashimoto put out a tweet showing his enthusiasm for the PS5 Showcase event, before swiftly deleting it. To say the least, that very curious move to distance himself from an otherwise innocuous tweet has fans' heads spinning with possibilities.
Sony needs to bring out the big guns next week, as Microsoft has taken the focus away from the PS5 with the price and release date announcements for the Xbox Series. The PS5 had the better game announcements during the reveal event over the summer, especially now that Halo Infinite has been delayed, so it can easily win back the crowd on the exclusives front. If Sony wants to put the attention back on the PS5, then a Final Fantasy 16 announcement during the showcase event is one way to do it, especially if it has a timed-exclusivity deal like Final Fantasy 7 Remake has. It's also possible that Hashimoto's tweet was referring to a next-gen version of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, which could fall under the one-year exclusivity deal that Square Enix has with Sony.
It's been several years since Final Fantasy XV was released, and Square Enix cut development short on that title when its remaining DLC were canceled. As such, players feel long overdue for a new Final Fantasy title, even if it's just a teaser or a loose release window for a PS5 version of Final Fantasy XV or VII Remake.
The PS5 is due to be released during the 2020 holiday season. The PS5 Showcase will take place on September 16 at 1 pm Pacific Time.
Source: PS5Countdown