Rumor: Forspoken Could be Delayed Again if Final Fantasy 16 Releases This Year

gamerant.com:

Final Fantasy 16 is in an odd situation. Producer Yoshi-P recently stated that a Final Fantasy 16 trailer was prepped and ready to go, but for one reason or another, Square Enix is holding back on releasing it. Some think this will happen at a PlayStation State of Play, but overall, fans don’t know why.

Another Square Enix title, Forspoken, was delayed not too long ago and is currently slated to release in October. Although the titles are distinct enough, one new rumor has suggested that these two games might be “connected” in an odd circumstance.

Final Fantasy 16 Devs Were Once Working on a Bloodborne-Style New IP

Insider Nick Baker, during a recent XboxEra podcast, revealed he had heard Forspoken could be delayed again. Given it’s one of the few games currently releasing in October, that would be unfortunate, but there’s a stipulation attached. It seems Square Enix will only delay Forspoken under the condition it can release Final Fantasy 16 instead (seen around the 1:47:00 mark below). The fear on Square Enix’s end would probably be Final Fantasy 16 cannibalizingForspoken’s sales if it releases both of them too closely.

After all, as promising and intriguing asForspoken is for a new IP, there’s a reason this is the sixteenth numbered Final Fantasy game. Fans love them, and if the new title were to release in 2022, that would be a huge game for Square Enix in a time when there are not a lot of big games currently set for release. Language from Yoshi-P has also suggested that Final Fantasy 16 is in the endgame of development, so this isn't too far-fetched. However, this rumor would also suggest that Square Enix itself is not certain if it would be ready for release or not.

Overall, this puts Final Fantasy 16 andForspoken