Latest news with #FinalFantasy16
Metro
29-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Square Enix should hire the Expedition 33 team for Final Fantasy 17
A reader imagines what would happen if Sandfall Interactive made the next mainline Final Fantasy game and created a more old school experience. It's always sad when you feel yourself losing touch with something you used to love. Whether it's a film series or a hobby, sometimes you grow out of the thing or sometimes it evolves in a way that no longer interests you. That's where I am with Final Fantasy at the moment, at least in terms of the mainline games. If I'm honest with myself, I haven't truly enjoyed any of them since Final Fantasy 12 and it's only the surprisingly good Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy that hasn't made me completely cynical about the whole series. The final straw, so to speak, for me was Final Fantasy 16, which was the first one I actively hated and never finished. I do not want my Final Fantasy games to be some weird attempt to copy Games Of Thrones. These are Japanese games, and I'd like them to reflect that. If I wanted to play The Witcher 3 I'd go ahead and do so, not put up with a bad copy. It's not even a question of whether 16 is a good game or not, it's just not a Final Fantasy game, in my opinion. And what's worse is that they've stripped so much out of what makes the series unique that I worry they're going to go even further with the next one, so that it's totally unrecognisable as being part of the franchise. That's why I'd like to see Sandfall Interactive, the people behind Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, make the next Final Fantasy. I realise they're not Japanese, but I feel we'd get a more authentic experience if we let them make Final Fantasy 17 then if we had Square Enix do it. You'd get a game that had a strong Western influence, probably lots of new and original ideas, but also a team that appreciate the older Final Fantasy games. One of the reasons I love Expedition 33 is that it has an old school overworld map and turn-based battles. Square Enix would never do that and yet Expedition 33 will probably end up outselling Final Fantasy 16 in the end. Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. That alone is crazy to me and all the reason Square Enix needs to talk to them. After all, if they don't they could end up becoming close competition. I think it's probably unlikely to happen though, because Sandfall (kind of a boring name, don't you think?) will want to make their own games now. I imagine they'll want to have a career like Larian Studios but remember that their biggest hit was Baldur's Gate 3, a licensed game, so maybe Sandfall would be interested in making a Final Fantasy at least once, just to get some money rolling in. Of course, Square Enix could just do it themselves, take Expedition 33 as proof that an older school approach can work and make it internally, but I'm just not sure they have the nerve. Final Fantasy 16 was their big experiment and as much as I'm enjoying the Final Fantasy 7 remakes they're not turn-based at all really. More Trending But I do think that the answer for most of these big franchises, that are getting too expensive to make nowadays, is to go back to what they used to be, just with modernised graphics and features. Not only would it give fans what they want but they'd be cheaper to make and more profitable. After the failure of Final Fantasy 16, what have they go to lose? By reader Lusk The reader's features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro. You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot. Just contact us at gamecentral@ or use our Submit Stuff page and you won't need to send an email. MORE: I bought GTA 5 for the third time and it's still one of the best games ever - Reader's Feature MORE: We have to accept the Nintendo Switch 2 is not for hardcore gamers - Reader's Feature MORE: The 90s and 2000s were the best time for video game creativity – Reader's Feature
Metro
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 sells 3.3 million copies after 33 days
One of 2025's breakout hits has hit an apt sales milestone, as developer Sandfall Interactive discusses its next game. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is already a frontrunner for game of the year, but it's also one of the unexpected hits of 2025. The French turn-based role-player is developer Sandfall Interactive's first game, albeit one with an oddly impressive voice cast, including Daredevil's Charlie Cox, Andy Serkis, Jennifer English, and Ben Starr from Final Fantasy 16. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 surpassed one million units sold within three days following its launch on April 24, but now it's hit a very apt milestone 33 days later. As highlighted by the game's X account on Tuesday, May 27, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has now sold 3.3 million copies after 33 days. 'Seriously,' the post reads. 'As of today. We couldn't make that up. Another entry on the long list of surreal moments that your support has made real. Thank you ALL. Tomorrow comes.' It's an impressive milestone for a new IP, and one which doesn't include the game's Game Pass numbers. For comparison, Persona 5, a Japanese role-playing game from an established series, surpassed 3.2 million units sold two years after it released worldwide in April 2017, so it's certainly tapped into an audience beyond the genre's usual remit. Thirty-three days ago, we released Clair Obscur: Expedition then, we've sold 3.3 million As of couldn't make that entry on the long list of surreal moments that your support has made real. Thank you comes.🤝 — Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (@expedition33) May 27, 2025 Sandfall Interactive spoke about the game's success in an interview with where they teased 'great ideas' for the studio's next game. 'The game has had success to an extent that we didn't imagine,' Sandfall's COO and producer, François Meurisse, said. 'We smashed our forecasts pretty fast.' More Trending Speaking about the studio's next project, he added: 'There will be another video game, for sure. I can't wait to dig more into the ideas we already have for the next game. 'Plus the team has grown up, has acquired new skills throughout production. Many of them were junior when we started. We learned to work together. So I can't wait to get to the next project, because we'll start from a more efficient position than when we started the company five years ago. 'And that [comes] with higher expectations as well, so it will be challenging. But I can say that we have – and [studio head] Guillaume Broche in particular has – great ideas for the next game.' Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is available across PlayStation 5, PC, and Xbox Series X/S. Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: First Nintendo Switch 2 unboxing has already happened but there's a catch MORE: Blades Of Fire review – hammer of the gods MORE: Games Inbox: When will the new Tomb Raider be revealed?
Metro
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Kingdom Hearts 4 gets new update as Square Enix cancels spin-off
Square Enix has canned a previously announced Kingdom Hearts spin-off, as it looks to 'reboot' its business. It's been over three years since Disney crossover Kingdom Hearts 4 was revealed, in April 2022, and we haven't seen or heard anything about the sequel since. Square Enix also announced a mobile spin-off entitled Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link during the same 20th anniversary video. The GPS-based action role-playing game received a closed 'prototype test' in January 2023 and was originally supposed to come out in 2024, but it was delayed. Now, Square Enix has announced Kingdom Hearts: Missing-Link has been cancelled entirely, which is surprising as its story was supposed to lead into Kingdom Hearts 4. 'We wish to convey our heartfelt apologies to everyone who has been looking forward to the start of service,' an announcement post reads. 'Although we worked hard on developing and adjusting the game in the hope that it would be enjoyed by lots of players, we determined that it would be difficult for us to offer a service that players would find satisfactory over a long period of time, leading us to the decision to cancel development. 'We would like to take this opportunity to express our thanks to everyone who gave us their support and assistance with the multiple closed beta tests. We are truly sorry to have to make this announcement.' To sweeten the bad news, Square Enix provided an update on Kingdom Hearts 4, perhaps to reassure fans that it does still exist. 'The Kingdom Hearts series will continue,' the post adds. 'We are hard at work on Kingdom Hearts 4, and hope you'll continue to support the series as you keep an eye out for further updates.' While it's unclear why we haven't seen anything from Kingdom Hearts 4 for so long, Square Enix has undergone a major overhaul to its business over the past year. Lower than expected sales for Final Fantasy 16 and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth caused a shift in strategy at the company, towards a more selective, higher quality approach – resulting in many cancelled projects. Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link appears to be another casualty of this pivot, but it is an interesting decision considering the spin-off was set to have ties to Kingdom Hearts 4's narrative. In an interview with Game Informer from 2022, series director Tetsuya Nomura described Missing-Link as being 'connected in many ways' to the next mainline entry. In its latest financial results, Square Enix emphasised its intention to 'reboot and awaken' its business, by promoting 'multi-platform strategies' and 'rebuilding the domestic studios portfolio', among other plans. 'Under the new management structure, we reviewed all projects at our domestic studios, including HDG and SD titles, and decided to discontinue development of some titles and invest additional funds in titles that require refinement, thereby steadily implementing a strategy of selecting and concentrating development resources,' reads the business plan. 'We will continue to control the scale of development investment in a disciplined manner.' More Trending As part of this three year plan, Square Enix states its aim to 'shift from quantity to quality', with the intention of releasing 'major titles mainly in key IP steadily' after 2027. Square Enix has several games planned for the Switch 2, including Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster and Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade. Elsewhere in the plan, Square Enix announced it is working on a video game with TBS Television, the Tokyo-based network which is known for producing shows like Takeshi's Castle and Ninja Warrior. While it's unclear when we could get another glimpse at Kingdom Hearts 4, the next likely candidate is Summer Game Fest on June 6, 2025. Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: Sony to increase first party games output as PS5 sales continue to fall MORE: More Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders live now in UK with limited camera bundle MORE: New Persona annoucement due this week but prepare for disappointment
Newsweek
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Live-Action Film Enters Casting With Fans Hoping for Robert Pattinson
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek's network of contributors Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is one of the biggest hits of the year so far in video games. It's received universal acclaim from critics, currently sitting at 92 out of 100 on Metacritic, the biggest review aggregator for video games. We also sang its praises in our Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 review, with one of the things that makes it so great being the game's story. The main playable cast of Clair Obscur Expedition 33. The main playable cast of Clair Obscur Expedition 33. Kepler Interactive Without giving too much away, it's an incredible story that interrogates the nature of grief set in a beautifully strange world that always keeps you guessing, so it's natural to wonder if it could make the leap to the big screen. In January 2025 – before the game even launched – a live-action adaptation of the film was announced, and today we got the news that casting is currently underway. 'CLAIR OBSCUR: EXPEDITION 33' live-action film is in the works Casting is currently underway (via: @Variety) — ScreenTime (@screentime) April 29, 2025 The game already has an incredible voice cast that includes famous actors like Andy Serkis and Charlie Cox performing alongside fantastic voice actors like Ben Starr from Final Fantasy 16 and Jennifer English from Baldur's Gate 3. However, there's one name in particular fans are hoping for. See, if you look at a picture of protagonist Gustave, you might notice a resemblance between him and Robert Pattinson, leading many to wonder if he was the actor behind the role in the game. He isn't, it's the aforementioned Charlie Cox, but it's given fans hope that the renowned actor might take up the role for the movie adaptation. There have been no hints as to any castings yet, so we'll all just have to wait and see.
