Anything that pertains to the Final Fantasy franchise is bound to generate a lot of buzz. With a popularity that spans many generations and is still growing, the franchise has indeed become a household name for years. When the Square Enix’s EO and Final Fantasy brand manager made a tweet with enthusiasm over something, it’s equally as likely to gather people’s attention, too. Most likely, with the suspicion of a new game in the franchise.
It has been a while since we’ve all last heard of Final Fantasy XV. Ending on a sad note of its director leaving and any pending projects relevant to the title left in the dust. Which, while sad, makes for a foregone conclusion that could pave way for something else equal or better in scale. Therefore, it only does makes sense for everyone to look forward to another entry in the mainline series instead of waiting for defunct projects to come back to life.
A Surprise Tweet
So, when Shinji Hashimoto has indeed called everyone’s attention in a form of a tweet, it’s not ignored.
The tweet per se did not explicitly mention the Final Fantasy XVI nor have any sort of insinuation to it. But for someone who is in the position to manage the Final Fantasy brand, it tickles the mind to entertain anything of the sort. What’s more suspicious is the fact that the tweet was apparently removed as soon as it was posted. All the more inciting further hunch over the original notion.
In fact, the tweet actually makes for an expression of a man who was ecstatic over the PlayStation 5 event.
https://twitter.com/PS5Countdown/status/1305013257162371072
That can be set aside as nothing Final Fantasy-related. However, Twitter user PS5COUNTDOWN sparked interest when it mentions an existing Twitter handler for FFXVI in conjunction with Hashimoto’s post.
False Alarm, Maybe?
Looking into the mentioned Twitter account itself, it turns out to be inactive. Literally, having zero followers, no post, and lacking profile image. While having a bespoke Twitter account of a product does not necessarily validate its existence, it does serve another purpose.
As it appears, it has become quite a trend that certain products see having a Twitter account in advance. That is, as a means of securing an IP in this particular social media space. Regardless of whether or not such an account will be used in the future.
Ultimately, the tweet may not really point to the possible announcement of the latest entry in the mainline Final Fantasy series. But there is no denying the fact that it can literally be a major highlight should it be part of the PlayStation 5 event.
Image used courtesy of EDAMAME Arcade Channel/YouTube Screenshot