Final Fantasy 16 is likely skipping TGS 2021, although development is progressing smoothly and the game's English voice recording is almost complete.
The news comes courtesy of the most recent "Letter from the Producer Live" for Final Fantasy 14, which was translated by aitaikimochi on Twitter. Producer Naoki Yoshida surprised fans by giving a development update on Final Fantasy 16, possibly in reaction to those who were expecting to see it at the most recent State of Play.
Yoshida revealed that all of the main scenarios for the game are now set in stone, which means that the game has been planned out from start to the finish. He also revealed that the English voice recording is in its final stages now and is nearing the end of development.
It's not all such happy news, however. Yoshida said that Final Fantasy 16 might be skipping TGS 2021, saying, "I'm not sure if we will make that deadline".
Alongside the development update, Yoshida also said that "we want the next announcement to be something where everyone watches and says I'm going to buy this game!". Yoshida is quick to clarify that "development is going well" even with the relative silence of the game since its initial unveiling.
We can expect to see Final Fantasy 16 when it's closer to being finished. Yoshida said, "I don't like throwing out bits to string people along with small updates, so I want to show it when it's ready".
Although that may sound like it's going to be quite a while away, the fact that English voice recording is nearly complete for Final Fantasy 16 makes it clear that development is going quite well. Voice recording is usually one of the last things done during the development process.
It's not guaranteed that Final Fantasy 16 won't be appearing at TGS either, as Yoshida seemed to call it unlikely rather than not happening. For now though, it's best to expect Final Fantasy 16 news further down the road.