Final Fantasy XVI Takes The Top Spot In This Week’s Famitsu’s Most Wanted Games

Final Fantasy XVI has once again taken the top spot in this week’s chart of Famitsu’s most-wanted games with 965 votes. While it currently sits above Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, the difference in votes is minimal, as the latter is in second place with 959 votes. In addition, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom retains the honor of being the top title for Nintendo Switch.

Aside from the top two spots, the disparity in votes is huge as Pikmin 4 takes the third spot with 514 votes. Capcom‘s upcoming Sci-Fi game Pragmata also factors into the list with 292 votes. While Final Fantasy XVI is approaching its release, having gone gold earlier this month, it’s not the only title in the series scheduled for 2023.

Square Enix’s Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, a part of the FFVII Remake project, is also scheduled to come out this year. However, information about this game has been relatively scarce, which may have contributed to its rank this week. Meanwhile, XVI continues to get more attention owing to the media previews, gameplay showcases, and a demo announcement that took place during the latest State of Play event.

Similarly, the recent trailer for Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has also contributed to the increased interest in the game. Nintendo pushed the boundaries of open-world games with Breath of the Wild back in 2017. This formula was further expanded upon in last year’s Elden Ring by FromSoftware. Seeing as how Tears of the Kingdom is even more ambitious, the future of open-world games seems exciting.

On the other hand, Final Fantasy XVI recently confirmed that it will feature expansive zones for exploration. However, it will not be an actual open world. In recent preview events, Yoshi-P stated, “To bring players a wide variety of environments, in the highest quality possible, and ultimately enhancing game experience, we selected several areas that we wanted to focus on – and created those in extreme detail” (via VG247).

Players will be able to explore the world of Valestheia when Final Fantasy XVI hits the shelves on June 22, 2023, for the PlayStation 5. A demo version is scheduled for release two weeks prior to launch.