FFXVI Producer Explained Why the Game Won't Have the Open World

As it was recently revealed, Final Fantasy XVI won't be an open-world title and instead will have several large areas (like in Dragon Age: Inquisition and Pokémon Legends: Arceus).

In a recent interview with the Japanese outlet Famitsu (via VCG), Final Fantasy XVI producer Naoki Yoshida spoke about the game and revealed why the studio decided to step away from the open-world mechanic.

According to the producer, the team's decision was partly related to the fact that developers felt that other game elements such things as showing a cinematic story with a high level of direction, for example, were more important than just focusing on the open world.

"When I played the first Final Fantasy, I thought 'this is a movie-like gaming experience'," Yoshida said. "The production, the dialogue timing, the drama, the sound – they all combined to create the greatest gaming experience possible. [...] That game experience must be felt in Final Fantasy XVI as well."

He shared that he wants to release the game as soon as possible but if he had to include every idea the developers want to bring to life building an open-world game at the same time, it would take ages for developers to complete the game.

"I believe it is practically impossible to ask for everything. If we had a development period of about 15 years, we may have had the opportunity of challenging ourselves with an open world," the producer said. "After all, it’s almost impossible in terms of time and cost to create a global story within an open world."