Final Fantasy 16’s Development Started With 3 People; Ended Up With Over 300

It overwhelms some other huge releases that had over a thousand developers behind them.

By Shahmeer Sarfaraz August 16, 2023

2 minutes read

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Final Fantasy 16’s development initially started with only three people but slowly grew up to over 300 when it was completed. Naoki Yoshida gave a rough estimate in a new interview on a TV channel.
The exact number of devs is unclear since Yoshida kept it a secret. But we may find out by scrolling through the title credits. On the other hand, over 9000 devs worked on crafting Diablo 4 over the years.
The FF16 producer also said it would be easier if there was only a single console that was used both by developers and gamers. The statement was made as a humourous remark by the dev.
Final Fantasy 16 was released to critical reception on the PS5. It sold over three million copies during its first week. After its timed exclusivity ends, Square Enix may bring the entry over to PC.

Final Fantasy 16 spent a long time in the brewer, which turned out to be an alluring and memorable experience. For such a well-crafted story, with smooth combat and esthetic visuals, the title was not developed by thousands of devs like some other AAA games. The FF16 producer Naoki Yoshida has recently revealed that the number of devs grew with the scope of the project and its progress over the years.

Yoshida was seemingly on the Taiwanese channel “Muyao 4 Super Player,” where he said over 300 people worked on Final Fantasy 16 (thanks, @Genki_JPN). The number initially grew from just three devs that started working on the game during its initial stages. It climbed up to seven and slowly started expanding until the title was completed with over 300 devs that made it to the credits at the end.

Naoki Yoshida has not mentioned the total number of devs. Regardless, we have been given a rough estimate confirming the number of talented devs that participated in developing the indelible venture. We might be able to figure out the total number of Final Fantasy 16 devs by scrolling through the long credits, but it will take a lot of counting and patience.

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To put things into perspective, Diablo 4 was worked on by over a staggering nine thousand team of developers. FF16 features some of the best boss fights unmatched by many other AAA entries in recent times. It is quite an achievement for a team to achieve that milestone that is just hovering over the 300 mark.

Naoki Yoshida also mentioned quite a unique take regarding game consoles during the interview, which is circling around the gaming industry. The FF16 producer said it would be easier if there was only a single console that was used both by developers and gamers. He requested everyone to make a single global platform somehow. Although he spoke in quite a humourous manner while enjoying some food and laughs.

But there could be some verity to the matter, as a single console would have made it easier for devs to produce games on it. The specific part from the interview was translated into English on Twitter thanks to Genki’s efforts.

Here is the clip of Yoshi-P wishing for "one platform". I added subs so people can see for themselves.

He doesn't say "it would be better" but says "it would be easier". He is clearly smiling and joking whilst taking about it. pic.twitter.com/lcSblpNm7Y

— Genki✨ (@Genki_JPN) August 16, 2023

Final Fantasy 16 has sold like hotcakes on sale after releasing on only a single platform. It was able to shift over three million copies in just its first week after the critical inception. It also climbed up to become Japan’s most-played PlayStation 5 entry during its launch month. It came out on the current-gen PlayStation 5 as a timed exclusive and will retain that status for half a year before eventually sailing off for a PC release in the future.

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