One of the most highly anticipated games that Square Enix fans are looking forward to next year isFinal Fantasy 16. This is the latest numbered entry in the popular JRPG franchise, with plenty of news being dropped about the game in the past month. Fans got to see an extensive look at the game at Sony’s June 2022 State of Play Presentation, complete witha trailer forFinal Fantasy 16that highlighted summons, combat, and even some story beats.
Shortly after this trailer was shown,Final Fantasy 16’s producer Naoki Yoshida conducted plenty of interviews that revealed a number of details that fans should expect. This includes how theEikon Summon gameplaywill work, along with other topics such as the unique party system and the decision to forego an open-world format. One aspect that he highlights is the emphasis on the game’s high fantasy medieval setting, revealing that the game will only feature British English accents.
RELATED:Final Fantasy 16 Won’t Be Open World
In an interview with Japanese publication Dengeki Online, Yoshida explains that he and his development team focused on bringing European scenery to life while combining it with fantasy elements the franchise is known for. He notes that in order to maintainthe medieval fantasy setting ofFinal Fantasy 16, all the lines were recorded in British English. Yoshida also went to great lengths to avoid including American accents in the game, as he felt that American fans would be angry over the inconsistency. He even jokes a typical fan would start being excited about a European setting but would end up being outraged with hearing the characters speaking in an American accent.
ConsideringFinal Fantasy 14- another game produced by Yoshida - contains a cast of exclusively British actors, this should come as no surprise to some. Yoshida also explains that he and his team originally wrote the game’s story in Japanese, and then translated it in English. Afterwards,Final Fantasy 16’s voice and motion capture workwere done in English first by European actors.
Yoshida comments that many gamers of this generation expect medieval fantasy to be European, which has been codified by other literary works likeThe Lord of the Rings. There’s still quite a bit of time beforeFinal Fantasy 16is released, but if there’s one thing to be taken from this interview, it would be that it was important to Yoshida and the rest of the development team that the game’s European fantasy setting be maintained in many aspects, even minor ones like the accents.
Final Fantasy 16will launch in Summer 2023 for PS5.
MORE:7 Mistakes That Final Fantasy 16 Shouldn’t Repeat From Previous Games
