JRPGs used to skip out on simultaneous worldwide release, though that has changed in recent years. Smaller publishers tend to struggle in this area due to lack of worldwide appeal, but some of the bigger publishers like Square Enix and Sega have been committed to simultaneous releases for numerous reasons: Combating game leaks and story spoilers, along with capitalizing on certain games/brands with worldwide appeal. For Sega, that’s resulted in simultaneous release the upcomingLostJudgment, as well as forthcoming Atlus JRPGs likePersona 6. For Square Enix, that wasFinal Fantasy 15, and likely the upcomingFinal Fantasy 16as well.
In the past, as late asFinal Fantasy 13’s release, previousFinal Fantasygames had separate release dates for Japan (earlier) and worldwide releases (later). However, fromFinal Fantasy 15onward, that has since changed. Now, with recent news ofFinal Fantasy 16’s English motion capture and acting wrapping up production, this news hints at a pretty clear indication that simultaneous worldwide release is very plausible. It’s often rare for a JRPG that the English dub/performance is completed first, prior to the Japanese dub, especially forFinal Fantasy. Granted,Final Fantasy 16seems to have plenty of western appeal and influence, but it’s still an uncommon occurrence.
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Final Fantasy’s Performance Capture Progress Began in English
According to the game’s producer, Naoki Yoshida, the development team had tapped British-English voice actors primarily for the main character performances. Based on Yoshida’s comments, it seems that significant progress has been made on the English actor performance primarily, and that the Japanese dub “will start soon.” Obviously, from a logistical standpoint, this isn’t the most efficient way for performance capturein AAA JRPG development, but forFinal Fantasy 16, it makes sense thematically. Considering the game’s high-fantasy setting, with clear overtones ofGame of Thrones-esque atmosphere, a British-English voice cast would be faithful to that world.
This isn’t acompletelyunheard of occurrence when it comes to AAA game development.Kojima Productions’Death Strandingcomes to mind; with the game’s list of notable actors like Norman Reedus and Mads Mikkelsen taking on starring roles in the game. However, for a mainlineFinal Fantasygame, the next entry would only be the second game in Square Enix’s history to have a simultaneous worldwide release.Final Fantasy 15would be the first example of simultaneous release, and that last mainline entry had a severely delayed development altogether.Final Fantasy 16finishing an English dub first, prior to Japanese, is not the status quo for the franchise.
Simultaneous Worldwide Release is Possible for Final Fantasy 16
Again, this is a plausible outcome, but there are reasons that would still prevent a simultaneous worldwide release ofFinal Fantasy 16. Square Enix’sKingdom Heartsseries director Tetsuya Nomura has commented in the past of how simultaneous worldwide release has actually caused issues with leaks/spoilers from early copies.Kingdom Hearts 3in particular, a game fans had been waiting around a decade for, saw a pretty sizable leak in December of 2018. Just one month prior to its official release date, Nomura mentioned that the logistical “incident” was potentially caused by the pressure to maintain a simultaneous worldwide release.
Kingdom Hearts 3didn’t even have a fully simultaneous release date initially, as the game originally released in Japan four days prior to its planned worldwide release date.Games likeFinal Fantasy 7 Remake, which did have a simultaneous worldwide release date, still came online digitally at different times around the world. Certain regions were able to access the game early, rather than the game unlocking across the world at the same time. Whether it’s concern of leaks, spoilers leaking online, or even the supposed logistical nature of a simultaneous worldwide release, there is the possibility ofFinal Fantasy 16retaining a staggered release by Square Enix.
That being said, with performance capture on the English script making significant progress prior to the Japanese dub beginning production, the possibility is certainly there. Obviously this news doesn’t come as a direct confirmation of a simultaneous worldwide release;Final Fantasy 16hasn’t even received an official release date, or an additional trailer, since its reveal at the PlayStation 5 showcase event last year. However, the completion of an English dub this early in development does serve as an indication that Square Enix could be devoted to a simultaneous release, something the publisher has promised in the past with forthcoming AAA releases.
