Yes, Sony helped optimize Final Fantasy 16 for PS5

We noted in our Final Fantasy 16 PS5 Preview Given that the upcoming action RPG feels like a first-party production in places, it’s perhaps no surprise that Sony engineers helped Square Enix develop the game. The platform holder has, of course, bought the timed feature for the title – but producer Naoki Yoshida admits the organization’s involvement goes beyond just the money hat.

“From our point of view, the technical support we get from the hardware manufacturer is a big factor in the signing [exclusivity],” he said 4 gamersTranslated by Genki_JPN on the Twitter. “There was a part where we were developing together with Sony engineers who know the hardware very well, and we got generous support in optimizations that we couldn’t have managed on our own.”

Yoshida added that, by developing for a single platform, it’s been able to devote all of its resources and manpower to getting the most out of the PS5 — something that’s very apparent when you play the game.

Obviously, there’s still a lot of money involved in exclusive arrangements like this, but from what we’ve seen, Final Fantasy 16 more than makes the most of its status. The game looks and plays like it was developed by PS Studios, and that’s the highest praise we can heap on it.