Luminous Productions, the Square Enix subsidiary responsible for the creation of Final Fantasy XV, has never been short of ambition. After being handed the impossible task of taking over the development of Final Fantasy XV, which ended up being the third best-selling mainline title, the former Business Division 2 focused their efforts on a new action RPG, Forspoken.
The stylish “narrative-driven” adventure was initially revealed under a different working title, Project Althia, before Square Enix announced the game’s official name at last year’s Square Enix Presents. Since then, most fans have expected the game to release on May 24. Unfortunately, with only a few months to go, Square Enix has confirmed that Forspoken’s development team needs more time “polishing the game”, which lines up with an earlier leak.
https://twitter.com/Forspoken/status/1500863854359846913
Ever since CD Projekt RED’s controversial Cyberpunk 2077, delays have become normal if encouraged in the video game industry. More consumers are becoming understanding of the game development process. Not to mention, most studios are now aware that previous “normal” working conditions in the industry were far from ideal.
Having said that, delaying a game for additional polishing is never a bad thing. Case in point, the early GOTY contender, Elden Ring, was delayed multiple times, and look at how critics just can’t help but lop it up.
For now, it’s best to remain optimistic at what the Forspoken delay means and how it could ultimately lead to a much better game at launch in October.
What we’re curious about is what all this means for Square Enix’s forthcoming projects. Earlier this year, the Japanese publisher confirmed that it wants to reveal more of Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 2 just weeks after delaying Final Fantasy XVI due to COVID-19. Most fans expected both titles to be released in 2022, but this is a pipedream. Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin and Forspoken already have Square Enix’s early 2022 and late 2022 slots covered, so the likelihood of a 2023 release (or later) for either Final Fantasy game is high.
Hopefully, we’ll at least get a chance to see Final Fantasy XVI or Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 2 at the State of Play event tomorrow.
