"Final Fantasy 14" is one of the most successful titles in the franchise, with more than 18 million players. Many fans wonder if the game developer is planning to release "Final Fantasy 16," considering the massive success of its predecessors. Over the past months, rumors about the alleged sequel are rife online, and one of them claims that Naoki Yoshida would direct "Final Fantasy 16."
A recent report from LiveDoor revealed that the "Final Fantasy 14" director and producer denied rumors that he is directing "Final Fantasy 16." The veteran director shared that he is still the director of "FF14" for several years more. While the rumors are not true, it is understandable that Yoshida would be linked to "Final Fantasy 16," considering his contribution to the MMO revival.
In a YouTube live stream text response, Yoshi-P said that rumors of him directing "Final Fantasy 16" is fake news and added that it is annoying. The director asked fans to ignore any unofficial announcements because they are bothersome. Rumors linking Yoshida to "Final Fantasy 16" could be due to the recruitment page that Square Enix posted in 2019.
The post was about a new project headed by Naoki Yoshida, and some fans jumped into conclusion that the director is moving to a single-player mainline title and leaving the MMO genre behind. The description states that Yoshie-P is the team's general manager and would be working on a large-scale HD game for next-generation gaming consoles. It was at this time when Square Enix was transitioning to a large full-scale development phase.
Until now, the recruitment post is still unknown, which could be "Final Fantasy 16" or a totally different project. It is also likely that Yoshida is still involved somehow in the project, even if he is not directing it. Square Enix might not want to compromise "FF14" by putting Yoshie-P on "Final Fantasy 16" while his job is not yet done in the past game.
Meanwhile, several reports surfaced last month, claiming that "Final Fantasy 16" might be announced in the summer of 2020. The leak came from a Reddit user who claimed that along with a new project led by Yoshida, "Final Fantasy 16" would launch at a summer event. At this point, nothing is official yet about "Final Fantasy 16." it would be safe to take unofficial information with a pinch of salt.
[Rumor/Leaks] Crimson Arbitrium - Agni's Anthology (the new IP of Luminous Production) and Final Fantasy XVI will both be announced at the Summer Game Fest from r/GamingLeaksAndRumours
