Rumors suggest PC players might not have too long to wait for a Final Fantasy XVI port

Final Fantasy XVI, the latest mainline title in what may be the most inaccurately-named series in gaming history, finally has a release date, and is due to hit shelves both digital and physical this summer. Square Enix has made it abundantly clear that the game will be launching as a PS5 exclusive, but has offered less clarity on when and whether it will eventually make its way to other systems, especially PC. To muddy the waters further, recent comments from one of the game’s producers have sent the community into a spin.

Producer Naoki Yoshida appeared on a livestream in which he commented briefly on the possibility of a PC port for Final Fantasy XVI. A translation by YouTuber Genki Gamer puts his words as: “Nobody said a word about a PC version releasing. Why is it like a PC version is releasing six months later? Don’t worry about that, buy a PS5!” Predictably, fans have interpreted the aside in various different ways, with some seeing it as a confirmation of the upcoming port and others suggesting that Yoshida was denying its existence altogether.

The most likely explanation is that Yoshida was simply making a joke, feigning ignorance at the idea of an upcoming PC port despite evidence to the contrary quietly — and in some cases perhaps accidentally — slipped into various recent bits of marketing. His specific claim of a PC version releasing “six months later” is doubtless riffing on the community’s reaction to a PlayStation ad that revealed the game would be a PS5 exclusive for six months, a timeline that fits with the more recent revelation from the “Revenge” trailer which stated it wouldn’t be available on other consoles until December 31. In any case, while Yoshida’s comments would appear to be little more than a nudge and a wink, the rest of the evidence still pretty clearly points to a port sometime next year, despite Square Enix’s stony silence.