Square Enix hasn't said a whole lot about Final Fantasy 16 lately. Fans expected it to show up at E3, but it surprisingly wasn't the focus of Square Enix's presentation. Still, gamers are eager to hear more about Final Fantasy 16 and what kind of adventure awaits them in Valisthea, yet another new world in the ever-expanding lineage of fantasy worlds that make up the beloved IP. One can only hope that no news is good news as far as Final Fantasy 16 is concerned, as Square Enix may just want to focus on development rather than publicity. Since there isn't an official release date for the game yet, it wouldn't be surprising if publicity just isn't Square Enix's priority right now.

However, if that's the case, some of Square Enix's other plans raise questions. One would expect that Final Fantasy 16 would be its focus as the next chapter in the Final Fantasy franchise, but that's not the case. In fact, there's an almost overwhelming amount of Final Fantasy projects in the works. Although that's great for the IP as a whole, one wonders if it'll set back Final Fantasy 16 in any way. After all, it could be hard for fans to focus on this new entry when they have so many new options when it comes to Final Fantasy games.

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There's a whole lot going on in the world of Final Fantasy right now. For one thing, there's Final Fantasy 7 Remake high on the minds of the franchise's fans. The first part of the remake was a huge hit, as was the PS5 port, Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade. Lots of fans are still talking about this high quality return to one of the most famous entries in the Final Fantasy franchise. After all, fans are still waiting on the second part of the remake and wondering how else Square Enix will reframe the latter half of this game's iconic story.

Square Enix is also working on a new spinoff of Final Fantasy 7. It's jumping on the battle royale trend with Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier, where players battle it out for the chance to be a SOLDIER candidate, a crucial part of Final Fantasy 7. This game essentially serves as a prequel for the original game, taking place 30 years before Final Fantasy 7 and introducing some new lore for how the SOLDIER program worked. It's interesting to see how the remake's success has inspired Square Enix to dig deeper into this particular universe.

Final Fantasy 7 isn't getting all of Square Enix's attention, though. Instead of focusing on Final Fantasy 16 at E3 2021, Square Enix revealed Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin. Stranger of Paradise is interesting in a few ways, both for focusing on Soulslike gameplay and for having a few noteworthy connections to the first Final Fantasy game. Thanks to the PS5 demo, Stranger of Paradise already has a dedicated following of fans who look forward to picking up the game when it releases. It'll be interesting to see how this new title reflects on the future of the franchise and which of its innovations become influential long-term.

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Clearly the Final Fantasy IP is doing well for itself. Square Enix has a lot of ideas and wants to keep pushing an already successful IP in as many new directions as possible. Trying new things and adding more stories is great on the whole, but one wonders if it's the most efficient way to bolster Final Fantasy's central games. Specifically, it seems risky to flood the market with so many Final Fantasy titles when Final Fantasy 16 is already in development. Square Enix would obviously hate to see Final Fantasy 16 stumble at launch if fans are distracted by Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2 or Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, though it does seem like a possibility.

There might be something to glean from Square Enix casting such a wide net. Maybe Final Fantasy 16 is farther away than expected. Again, Square Enix hasn't confirmed anything about its release window, so fans can only speculate about when Final Fantasy 16 will release. If Square Enix has so many new games related to this IP meant to come out in the near future, then maybe they're supposed to come out well before Final Fantasy 16. Fans might only know about the new game at all because Square Enix wanted to assure the community that a wholly new game is in development while it tinkers with some spinoffs and prequels.

The alternative is a little hard to imagine. Giving Final Fantasy 16 so little room to breathe could turn out to be a major burden if it's really meant to come out soon. What's more, it seems impractical in general to devote so much Final Fantasy know-how to so many different projects at one, rather than focusing on Final Fantasy 16 or Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2 alone. Square Enix needs to have a carefully measured release schedule in mind that'll give fans plenty of time to play and discuss each of its new projects in turn.

The bottom line of Final Fantasy's situation is that Final Fantasy 16 may have the most power to determine where the franchise goes from here. Square Enix doesn't seem to want to stay in Final Fantasy 7's universe if it's continuing the normal numbered entries. Inevitably, Final Fantasy will fall back into the pattern of traveling to new worlds and telling new stories. The wrinkle in that bottom line is that it really doesn't seem like Square Enix's priority right now. It seems like the studio is unexpectedly taking its time in carrying the central franchise forward, and wants to take a moment to experiment with new ideas.

Ultimately, odds are good that Final Fantasy 16's strange situation will only be a hiccup in the franchise's legacy. Again, Final Fantasy 16 could be so far away that it won't interfere at all with the other Final Fantasy games and vice versa. So many other studios have taken to announcing their biggest games years in advance that it wouldn't be weird if Square Enix did the same thing. Final Fantasy 16 looks like another compelling world worth exploring, so hopefully fans don't have to wait too many years to play it. If they do, at least there will be plenty of other Final Fantasy content to play in the meantime.

Final Fantasy 16 is in development for PS5.

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