Forspoken could receive yet another delay, according to a new rumour. If accurate, this delay wouldn't solely be in aid of polishing the game, but instead to leave room for another big Square Enix release: the long-awaited Final Fantasy 16.
This news comes from the rumour mill section of the XboxEra Podcast, which frequently discussed such reports. Host Shpeshal Nick reveals that one of his sources told him that Forspoken may now release in 2023, but only if Square is confident that the next Final Fantasy game could take its place and launch this year.
During the latest XboxEra podcast (around the 1:48:13 mark), Nick revealed what his source had shared.
"There's a possibility that Square might delay Forspoken again", says Nick. "But it's kind of conditional. And apparently, this condition is whether they think they can get Final Fantasy 16 out this year."
While some may be shocked to hear that we could get Final Fantasy 16 so soon, this would actually track with recent updates we've received. Earlier this month, it was revealed that the game is "pretty much complete", and a trailer is on the way soon. It's also worth noting that game producer Naoki Yoshida reportedly got in a bit of trouble for revealing as much. "The American marketing PR team got mad at me again", Yoshida said on a stream. "I was just minding my own business and working during Golden Week when I got a real cold email that was like 'Hey, did you comment on the game?'". It's possible that Square is hoping to surprise us with a 2022 release, to make up for the Forspoken delay if it goes ahead.
Unless plans change, Forspoken is set to launch on 11 October 2022. If this rumour is true, however, then it's possible we can instead expect to play Final Fantasy 16 around the same time. Despite this, Final Fantasy currently has no official release date.