Speaking with Skill Up, the Final Fantasy XVI development team have confirmed that the highly anticipated RPG is not powered by the Luminous Engine or Unreal Engine, but refused to divulge exactly what tech is powering the game.
I asked if this was running in the Luminous Engine, and Square said “no,” I asked if it was Unreal and they said “no.” I asked what it was, and they refused to say.
The Luminous Engine was used in the likes of Final Fantasy XV and Forspoken, with its in-house studio Luminous Productions set to merge with Square Enix. Elsewhere, Unreal Engine was used as the basis for Final Fantasy VII Remake and Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII — Reunion.
While Square Enix hasn’t revealed what engine is powering Final Fantasy XVI, fans have speculated it could be the same tech responsible for Final Fantasy XIV, namely Crystal Tools.
The development team behind Final Fantasy XVI has been busy doing the rounds lately flowing a major press event earlier in the year, which offered press the first hands-on time with the game.
Last week, the team revealed that the game would still be in full production if it wasn’t for the power of PS5 hardware, and that Final Fantasy XVI has done away with optional dungeons but still features large-scale maps.
Elsewhere, producer Naoki Yoshida revealed that players can expect over 11 hours of cinematic cutscenes in Final Fantasy XVI.
Final Fantasy XVI is scheduled for release on PS5 on June 22, 2023.