Day one patches are an unfortunately common occurrence in modern video games, and it seems that Final Fantasy XVI won’t be exempt from them. Square Enix has announced that the game will receive an update on launch day, aimed at refining some minor performance issues. This update will also include the option to enable or disable motion blur effects, the ability to customize button mapping, and the option to deactivate auto-tracking. These additions were based on player feedback following the recently released game demo.
While it may seem like common news, as day one patches are a common occurrence in the industry, it is noteworthy precisely because the studio had initially stated that they likely wouldn’t need a day one patch for the game. Final Fantasy XVI has been undergoing polishing for several months, and they were hoping to release it without the need for any patch, as stated by its director, Hiroshi Takai. That’s why this decision is so surprising.
However, the game’s producer, Naoki Yoshida, has explained that the day one patch, which is only around 300 megabytes in size, will only need to be downloaded by those who purchase the physical version of the game. Those who purchase the digital version of Final Fantasy XVI will either have it pre-installed or it will be ready before the launch, so they won’t have to worry about the patch.
Yoshida has taken the opportunity to apologize for the necessity of a day one patch, even though they never promised that such a patch wouldn’t be released. However, he has emphasized multiple times that even players without an internet connection, and therefore unable to install the patch, will still be able to play the game perfectly fine, so it shouldn’t be a problem.
The release of Final Fantasy XVI is scheduled for June 22nd exclusively on PlayStation 5. While it is indeed disappointing that it will ultimately require a day one patch, the fact that the patch is only 300 megabytes and is intended to polish minor aspects of the game is a testament to Square Enix’s work on their biggest title of 2023.
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