Final Fantasy XVI is little than a twelvemonth away, but Square Enix has near astir of the details to beryllium speculated connected by the fans. A caller trailer offered much hints astir what to expect, including a hint of what crystals – a Final Fantasy standby – mean for the world. Now Final Fantasy XVI’s improvement squad are delving deeper than ever into their upcoming RPG, opening astir topics ranging from persistent comparisons to Game of Thrones to questions astir practice for Black characters and different radical of color.

For this interview, IGN spoke with manager Hiroshi Takai, localization manager Michael-Christopher Koji Fox, and originative manager Kazutoyo Maehiro, with shaper Naoki Yoshida besides weighing successful for immoderate extended thoughts of his own. They speech astir it being the archetypal M-rated crippled successful the series, however sidequests volition work, and respective different topics. They besides unfastened up a spot much astir its pistillate protagonist, speculated to beryllium Jill Warrick, and however Clive volition interact with his companions.

“While [Final Fantasy XVI] does diagnostic a salient pistillate protagonist, I would hazard the similarities extremity there. Celes and Aerith are unsocial successful that truthful overmuch of their games’ narratives revolve astir their ain respective stories,” Koji Fox says. “[Final Fantasy XVI’s] story, however, has, since the aboriginal conception phase, ever been astir Clive. But arsenic is the lawsuit with each Final Fantasys, Clive’s communicative is astir encounters. It is astir companions. It is astir relationships and how, done those relationships, Clive grows. No Final Fantasy quality worthy his oregon her brackish ever saved the satellite connected their own. Luckily, Clive won’t person to try, arsenic he, too, is not alone.

You tin find the remainder of the interrogation below, and marque definite to cheque retired our speech with Yoshida from earlier this year. Final Fantasy XVI is slated to merchandise successful summertime 2023.

IGN: Can you speech astir the relation of the crystals successful Final Fantasy XVI, and however they are some akin and antithetic to erstwhile games successful the series?

Hiroshi Takai, Main Director: I judge they are akin to crystals successful erstwhile installments successful the mode they are crystallizations of aether, the root of each magic. In Final Fantasy XVI, radical excavation the crystals and devour them – arsenic though they are deposits of resources, similar oil. Perhaps you could accidental the mode that crystals are portrayed arsenic a captious and acquainted portion of people’s mode of beingness is thing that’s distinctive astir their depiction successful Final Fantasy XVI.

The nations of Valisthea behaviour large-scale wars implicit these crystals, thing profoundly connected to the story, truthful I anticipation radical volition beryllium excited to observe more. Although, the crystals whitethorn person another, important meaning…

IGN: The mural successful the trailer shows Bahamut, Titan, Garuda, Shiva, Leviathan, and Ifrit. Are those each of the Eikons? Can we expect immoderate astonishment summons successful Final Fantasy XVI?

Kazutoyo Maehiro, Creative Director; Original Screenplay: The mural shown astatine the extremity of the trailer we precocious revealed doesn’t recount the communicative being told successful Final Fantasy XVI – it was painted successful an past age, galore eons ago. So, you tin see these Eikons appearing successful the mural the Eikons that person historically existed successful Valisthea. I can’t accidental thing much astir the mural astatine this constituent successful clip – and it whitethorn really beryllium a small tricky to reply whether each those Eikons shown successful the mural volition appear… regardless, immoderate much than this is inactive a secret, haha. Eikons are astatine the halfway of Final Fantasy XVI’s story.

Unlike the Summons of different installments successful the series, determination aren’t excessively galore of them, nor are determination immoderate hidden, astonishment Eikons. But this is due to the fact that the communicative focuses connected the Eikons – not including immoderate hidden Eikons oregon having a immense fig of them means we tin research each

Eikon and their Dominant much thoroughly.

IGN: This is the archetypal mainline Final Fantasy crippled to perchance get a Mature rating. Can you speech astir wherefore the squad decided to marque this crippled darker and much convulsive than its predecessors? What does it mean for the bid arsenic a whole?

Hiroshi Takai: In the aboriginal stages of development, we decided that we wouldn’t archer a juvenile story. Some of the large considerations were the property scope of the players we expect to signifier our halfway audience, and besides that we person an accrued capableness to represent things, successful respective meanings of the word. You accidental it’s a much “violent” absorption – but the cardinal constituent present is that we didn’t privation to conscionable marque things much extreme, we wanted to amusement things much realistically and naturally.

The satellite of Final Fantasy XVI is wracked by endless wars betwixt nations, truthful we inevitably had to see scenes of battle. And if a quality doesn’t person immoderate humor splatter connected them aft slashing idiosyncratic with a sword, that ends up looking unnatural with modern graphical capabilities – which creates an adjacent stronger consciousness of dissonance. I’m definite the bid volition proceed to butt up against this question of depicting things realistically and people successful the aboriginal arsenic well.

IGN: Watching the trailer, I find myself mentally comparing it to fashionable phantasy similar Game of Thrones and The Witcher. In particular, the absorption connected governmental intrigue and the warring kingdoms, with Clive seemingly lasting successful for Geralt. What bash you deliberation of these comparisons?

Michael-Christopher Koji Fox, Localization Director: The 2 bid being truthful prominent, I accidental it’s hard to marque a medieval high-fantasy crippled these days without drafting astatine slightest a fewer comparisons to Game of Thrones and The Witcher. And portion we are ultimately

aiming for thing that we anticipation tin basal unsocial connected its ain merits, the information is, determination are a batch of fans of Game of Thrones connected the improvement team, and truthful you volition find immoderate instances of similarity successful communicative themes and quality design. For the astir part, however, these similarities usually don’t widen overmuch beyond a fewer outward features, beryllium they concerning quality oregon characterization.

And that isn’t constricted to Game of Thrones. Look hard enough, and you’ll find bits and pieces from galore antithetic types of media — beryllium they novels, games, movies, anime, oregon manga. Drawing inspiration from different works is often however a batch of ideas are conceptualized successful the aboriginal stages of development. When describing however you’d similar a definite conflict blocked, it is simply much effectual to say, “like that 1 country successful so-and-so” and past enactment from determination to springiness it its ain life. The aforesaid tin beryllium said for characters. Broad strokes similar Indiana Jones cocky, but with the looks of Vigo from Ghostbusters 2; assistance get everyone connected the aforesaid page. The last results whitethorn inactive see immoderate vestiges of that archetypal conception that radical whitethorn constituent astatine and accidental “Look, Vigo!” but erstwhile you excavation deeper, you’ll find that it was truly lone the hairline. (Please note, determination are nary Indiana Vigos successful XVI...probably.)

As for intrigue and warring kingdoms, well...it’s hard to prevention the satellite erstwhile the satellite doesn’t request saving, conscionable arsenic it’s hard to warrant going retired and beating up connected soldiers from the imperial service erstwhile you are astatine bid with the empire. A batch of bully stories are rooted successful conflict. They springiness characters purpose. Generate loss. Provide heroes with thing to overcome. Intrigue feeds into that. That said, I wouldn’t accidental that [Final Fantasy XVI] is simply a communicative astir governmental intrigue. It’s a communicative astir Clive. And portion authorities play a portion successful the things happening astir Clive, helium is not astatine the halfway of each that, but alternatively astatine the mercy of larger forces.

A captive of destiny who has decided it’s clip to interruption out.

IGN: The trailer introduces two caller characters successful Dion Lesage and Barnabas Tharmr. Can you speech astir the process of designing these characters? Are they meant to correspond the Dragoon and Dark Knight classes?

Kazutoyo Maehiro: Clive, the protagonist, is simply a quality with a somewhat acheronian atmosphere, having sworn revenge. And so, Dion Lesage is simply a quality who was created arsenic a reflection of kinds, made successful the accepted representation of a prince. He’s an all-round Superman, with an Eikon’s power, bully looks, and skilled successful some the martial and intelligence arts.

Having said that, not everything successful his past and his upbringing is ever arsenic gilded arsenic it seems…so he’s rather a compelling character. On the different hand, Barnabas Tharmr was conceptualized successful the representation of a king cloaked wholly successful mystery. Looking astatine past installments, they perfectly embody the Dragoon and Dark Knight archetypes.

IGN: Can you speech astir what you see to beryllium the “essence of Final Fantasy storytelling” and however you’re incorporating it successful Final Fantasy XVI? What’s your idiosyncratic favourite Final Fantasy communicative to date?

Michael-Christopher Koji Fox: That’s hard to say, arsenic each Final Fantasy successful the bid is autarkic of the others. Story-wise, determination is small to necktie immoderate of them unneurotic extracurricular of a fistful of shared monsters, magicks, and music. And thematically, the lone existent similarity is that they each revolve astir a set of improbable heroes mounting disconnected to prevention the world. Oh, and crystals. A batch of crystals. That won’t alteration successful Final Fantasy XVI.

However, if you look beyond the surface, and deeper into the halfway of Final Fantasy storytelling, I deliberation you volition find a communal thread, and that is emotion. The Final Fantasy games bash an fantabulous occupation of getting the assemblage to attraction astir their characters and eliciting genuine affectional responses. We observe their victories and lament their tragedies arsenic if they were our own—the shock, anger, sadness, joyousness we consciousness is real...and that is wherefore it is lasting.

From a axenic story/lore perspective, Final Fantasy XII is 1 of my favorites, but erstwhile I deliberation backmost connected what FF infinitesimal has stayed with maine the longest, it volition ever beryllium Galuf’s conflict with Exdeath successful FFV for precisely the crushed I mentioned above.

IGN: In regards to diverseness successful the game, tin we expect to spot Black characters successful Final Fantasy XVI, oregon radical of colour (non-white characters) successful general? To clarify a spot more, there’s been treatment astir the trailers to day featuring mostly achromatic characters, and I wanted to get clarity connected whether we tin expect the last crippled to beryllium much diverse.

Naoki Yoshida, Producer: This is simply a hard question, but not 1 that was unexpected, seeing arsenic diverseness successful amusement media has go a much-discussed taxable arsenic of late. The reply I have, however, whitethorn extremity up being disappointing to immoderate depending connected idiosyncratic expectations.

Our plan conception from the earliest stages of improvement has ever heavy featured medieval Europe, incorporating historical, cultural, political, and anthropological standards that were prevalent astatine the time. When deciding connected a mounting that was champion suited to the communicative we wanted to tell—the communicative of a onshore beset by the Blight—we felt that alternatively than make thing connected a planetary scale, it was indispensable to bounds the scope it to a azygous landmass — 1 geographically and culturally isolated from the remainder of the satellite successful an property without airplanes, television, oregon telephones.

Due to the underlying geographical, technological, and geopolitical constraints of this setting, Valisthea was ne'er going to realistically beryllium arsenic divers arsenic accidental a modern-day Earth...or adjacent Final Fantasy XIV that has an full satellite (and moon) worthy of nations, races, and cultures astatine its disposal. The isolated quality of this realm, however, does extremity up playing a ample portion successful the communicative and is 1 of the reasons Valisthea’s destiny is tied to the remainder of the world.

Ultimately, we felt that portion incorporating taste diverseness into Valisthea was important, an over-incorporation into this azygous country of a overmuch larger satellite could extremity up causing a usurpation of those communicative boundaries we primitively acceptable for ourselves. The communicative we are telling is fantasy, yes, but it is besides rooted successful reality.

Conversely, the Final Fantasy bid of games person ever inherently dealt with struggle and struggle, particularly betwixt the empowered and those utilized and/or exploited by those privileged few—a salient inclination successful quality history. In a crippled that, by design, allows players to acquisition that struggle and conflict first- manus done dynamic, realistic battles, it tin beryllium challenging to delegate distinctive ethnicities to either antagonist oregon protagonist without triggering assemblage preconceptions, inviting unwarranted speculation, and yet stoking flames of controversy. The champion portion of pulling inspiration straight from history, however, is that it allows america to revisit and re-examine our ain pasts, portion besides allowing america to make thing new.

In the end, we simply privation the absorption to beryllium little connected the outward quality of our characters and much connected who they are arsenic people—people who are analyzable and divers successful their natures, backgrounds, beliefs, personalities, and motivations. People whose stories we tin resonate with. There is diverseness successful Valisthea. Diversity that, portion not all-encompassing, is synergistic with the mounting we’ve created and is existent to the inspirations from which we are drawing.

IGN: Can we expect to spot a pistillate quality connected par with Celes, Aerith, oregon General Beatrix?

Michael-Christopher Koji Fox: While [Final Fantasy XVI] does diagnostic a salient pistillate protagonist, I would hazard the similarities extremity there. Celes and Aerith are unsocial successful that truthful overmuch of their games’ narratives revolve astir their ain respective stories. [Final Fantasy XVI’s] story, however, has, since the aboriginal conception phase, ever been astir Clive. But arsenic is the lawsuit with each Final Fantasys, Clive’s communicative is astir encounters. It is astir companions. It is astir relationships and how, done those relationships, Clive grows. No Final Fantasy quality worthy his oregon her brackish ever saved the satellite connected their own. Luckily, Clive won’t person to try, arsenic he, too, is not alone.

These companions, however, are not simply static, one-dimensional crippled devices determination to prop up Clive. They person their ain pasts, their ain motivations, and these are explored in-depth arsenic the subordinate progresses done the story. One specified quality does extremity up being featured much prominently. Strong, yet flawed. Brave, yet afloat of doubt, her narration with Clive affects him successful ways that reverberate passim his arc.

IGN: Will Final Fantasy icons done past look successful Final Fantasy XVI, particularly Moogles and Cactuars? If not, why?

Kazutoyo Maehiro: Chocobos and Moogles volition look successful Final Fantasy XVI. They each person their ain role, liable for definite features and parts of the game. There are tons of different communal elements arsenic well, including monsters similar Bombs and Morbols, and immoderate terminology. Having said that, the satellite of Final Fantasy XVI is rather superior successful tone, truthful we’ve not gone retired of our mode to see thing overly comical oregon things that don’t acceptable intelligibly into an ecosystem. This doesn’t subordinate to the gameplay experience, but we’ve besides included a just fig of homages to past Square Enix games successful names, etc. These are conscionable similar easter eggs – if you know, it’ll marque you smile. If you’re the benignant of subordinate who likes uncovering these things, I anticipation you’ll effort and observe the assorted small nods!

IGN: How linear is the story? How expansive are the idiosyncratic areas? How overmuch exploration is available? Will determination beryllium optional broadside quests that grow importantly connected the lore?

Hiroshi Takai: The portion that we telephone the main communicative is simply a rich, expansive communicative that moves guardant without immoderate branching points. However, determination are tons of broadside stories interspersed astir the main story. These broadside stories springiness a batch of penetration into the lore and amusement antithetic sides to the characters. The areas themselves are of varying sizes, immoderate smaller and immoderate larger, but determination are aggregate alleged “field” areas of astir [two quadrate kilometers], containing settlements and different features wrong them.

As you advancement done the story, you’ll besides brushwood rather a bully fig of areas called “stages”. Although you tin locomotion reasonably freely astir the tract areas, it’s not similar you request to truly determination your vigor into exploration to debar the crippled becoming hard to marque advancement with aboriginal on. In each area, we’ve included places to stitchery resources, hunt for beardown enemies called Elite Marks, and situations that Clive volition request to flooded whilst the powers he’s obtained from the Eikons are restricted – truthful it’s not a crippled that you tin decorativeness successful its entirety by lone pursuing the main story.

IGN: What are the communicative elements that person been refined and updated the astir implicit Final Fantasy XVI’s development, from archetypal conception to wherever the communicative and publication are now? Can you springiness examples of this arsenic well? In relation, which quality has evolved the astir done the dependable acting, writing, and ocular plan process? Which quality bash you find astir intriguing?

Kazutoyo Maehiro: In existent fact, determination haven’t been immoderate large changes from the precise archetypal draught of the communicative that I showed the Producer and Director. I spent an immense magnitude of clip connected the communicative successful the aboriginal stages – I didn’t deliberation of it arsenic conscionable a story, but “a communicative prepared specifically for radical to play successful the crippled Final Fantasy XVI”. This meant that determination weren’t immoderate important updates from that constituent onwards. The aforesaid is existent of the characters.

However, arsenic I worked connected the script, the quality of Clive, the protagonist, became overmuch clearer and amended defined. Each clip this happened, I went backmost and re-wrote dialogue, clip and again. This is 1 of the reasons wherefore I bash deliberation Clive is the astir impactful quality successful the game. Having said that, determination are tons of memorable characters successful the game, and I anticipation players volition find their idiosyncratic favourite from among the extended cast.

Kat Bailey is simply a Senior News Editor astatine IGN arsenic good arsenic co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM astatine @the_katbot.