We noted in our Final Fantasy 16 PS5 preview that the upcoming action RPG feels on par with a first-party production in places, so it’s perhaps no surprise that Sony engineers helped Square Enix with the development of the game. The platform holder has, of course, purchased timed exclusivity for the title – but producer Naoki Yoshida admitted that the organisation’s involvement expands beyond a mere money hat.
“From our point of view, the technical support we receive from the hardware manufacturer is a big factor in signing [exclusivity],” he told 4Gamer, as translated by Genki_JPN on Twitter. “There was a portion where we were developing together with Sony engineers who know the hardware thoroughly down to the core, and we received generous support in optimisation that we could not manage on our own.”
Yoshida added that, by developing for a single platform, it’s been able to dedicate all of its resources and manpower into getting the most out of the PS5 – something which is pretty obvious when you play the game.
Obviously, huge sums of money are still involved in exclusivity arrangements like this, but from what we’ve seen, Final Fantasy 16 is more than making the most of its situation. The game looks and plays like it’s been developed by PS Studios, and that’s some of the highest praise we can put on it.