Final Fantasy 16 May Mark the End of Numbered Installments, Says Producer Naoki Yoshida

Naoki Yoshida has suggested that Final Fantasy 16 will be the final installment in Square Enix’s numbered series of games. The original Final Fantasy game was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987, the same year it was initially released. Despite the fact that each chapter in the JRPG series has a unique narrative, the series has kept up its tradition of releasing new games in numerical order since then.

As a result of the fact that the Final Fantasy games are numbered, some potential players believe that they are required to play the series in chronological sequence. Nevertheless, this is not the case; players can begin their experience with any game of their choosing. Before the release of Final Fantasy 16 on June 22, 2023, producer Yoshida hinted that the Square Enix franchise might abandon the practice of numbering subsequent chapters in the series. The following is why Yoshi-P voted in favor of the proposed policy.

Final Fantasy 16 may be the end of an era

During an interview with GQ, Yoshida highlighted the possibility that omitting the numbers could attract a significantly larger fanbase. In honor of Final Fantasy’s 35th birthday, the publication asked for and received permission to do the interview. “That is, in fact, something that I’ve talked about with the higher-ups in the company. Yoshida suggested it was time to do away with the numerical components of the title.

“Take, for instance, Final Fantasy 14; you have it.” When a new player joins, they might ask, “Wait a minute, why do I have to play Final Fantasy 14 if 16 is already out?” Why don’t we name it Final Fantasy Online? If we do away with the number entirely, it will be much simpler to grasp what we are talking about. It will be up to whoever has to produce that game and whoever is in charge of the branding to decide whether or not Final Fantasy 17 or Final Fantasy 18 should have a number. That is not our concern in any way!