To all the Final Fantasy 16 fans out there, we've got a piece of good news coupled with bad news.
The bad news is that Final Fantasy 16 is getting a Day One patch, after all. The good news is it's not anything significant.
Apparently, Square Enix saw some "minor" things that needed fixing that it will patch up as the game goes live on June 22.
Previously, the game's director, Hiroshi Takai, had talked about how much work Square Enix had put into the game, resulting in its near-flawless state at launch and the promise that it won't have a Day One patch, which is a rarity today.
Unfortunately, in a special pre-launch live stream, the game's producer, Naoki Yoshida, clarified this is no longer the case.
According to Yoshida, the update applies to both digital and physical owners of the game. Despite the last-minute change, Yoshida reassured fans that the patch is not critical for gameplay and is considered a minor update that's not necessary to play the game. So, even if you have no internet connection at launch after pre-loading Final Fantasy 16, you'll still be able to enjoy the game.
Final Fantasy XVI has been a long-awaited title for many fans, and this last-minute update serves as an interesting footnote to its launch. Despite the prior promise of no Day One patch, Square Enix has had to backtrack and announce a small 300MB update to be released on June 22.
Still, it's a reasonable compromise after what's been largely praised as one of the best demos to come out in recent years. Not to mention, this announcement only underscores the developers' commitment to the game's quality. It sends a clear message that they want their fans to have the best possible experience with Final Fantasy XVI from the get-go - something that Square Enix has reiterated time and time again.
As Final Fantasy XVI prepares to launch worldwide on PS5, players can rest assured that they're in for a smooth gameplay experience, whether or not they download the unexpected day one patch.
In the meantime, Final Fantasy fans can check out a recent interview with the game's developers where they revealed their favorite Final Fantasy game. Finally, Metacritic has confirmed when the Final Fantasy 16 review embargo will lift.
I am fine with day one patches, it isn’t that big of a deal. I would rather them admit there are issues and fix them rather than ignore them for weeks after the release.