Final Fantasy XVI Achieved Square Enix’s Goal of Attracting Younger Players, Says Dev

Final Fantasy XVI famously didn't meet the sales expectations of Square Enix, though that was partly blamed on slower than anticipated adoption of the PlayStation 5 (the only platform where the game is currently available). However, there is at least one area where the developers reportedly hit their original goals. Speaking to Push Square, Final Fantasy XVI DLC Director Takeo Kujiraoka said:

In recent years, players of the Final Fantasy series have tended to skew towards a higher age range. However, this time there are survey results showing that more people in their teens and 20s played Final Fantasy XVI. I think this shows that, to a certain extent, we’ve achieved one of our initial goals – to have players of all ages play the latest Final Fantasy game.

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This doesn’t mean that all future Final Fantasy games will take a similar direction to Final Fantasy 16, but I do think it means that we’ve been able to bring new players on board and open new possibilities for the development teams that will work on future installments in the series.

The second and last Final Fantasy XVI DLC, called Rising Tide, will be released on Thursday, April 18. Players will be able to get it at $20 or as part of the Season Pass (which also includes the previous DLC, Echoes of the Fallen) for $25. In Rising Tide, players will find a new ally, a new area, a new Eikon, and brand-new endgame content.

Square Enix is also working hard on the PC version of the game. The developers said a release date isn't far off, and a playable demo will be offered so that users can test how it runs on their computers. High-end configurations can expect to run Final Fantasy XVI at frame rates well in excess of 100 FPS.