Final Fantasy XVI launches tomorrow exclusively for PlayStation 5, around five years after the previous mainline entry. Fans are suitably excited about the launch, even though there has been some controversy on whether the developers veered too far away from what used to mark Final Fantasy games. Final Fantasy XVI doesn't have any turn-based combat, is the first entry in the series to feature a mature rating, and is clearly more action-packed than heavy on the RPG elements, having been inspired by the likes of the God of War reboot.

　　While installments in Square Enix's franchise have greatly varied when it came to setting and other aspects, this new game features one of the biggest shakeups yet. Could Final Fantasy ever become something else entirely, though? For example, could it be a shooter in the vein of Call of Duty? In an interview published on Bloomberg, Final Fantasy XVI Producer Naoki Yoshida replied:

　　A great story, great game design, cutting-edge graphics, great music, and moogles and chocobos. If you have those things, I think you have a Final Fantasy. Call of Duty is using all this modern weaponry, but when you think about it, it’s this small group of people going around saving the world—that’s very Final Fantasy. All it would need is crystals.

　　Square Enix VP Yoshinori Kitase, who has worked on the IP for the last 33 years (he's listed as a producer on FFVII Remake and FFVII Rebirth), added that big changes like that could only come from the new generation of developers.

　　My imagination really has its limits, so it’s really great to have a new generation of creators on board.

　　Actually, Square Enix already produced two shooter games in the series: 2006's Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII for the PlayStation 2 and the recent mobile multiplayer battle royale Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier. However, both games were played in third-person instead of Call of Duty's traditional first-person view.

　　It's still unlikely Square Enix would make a Final Fantasy first-person shooter game since the genre is traditionally unpopular in Japan, but it's good to hear they are open even to the wildest experimentation.

　　In the meantime, your best bet for a first-person shooter with fantasy elements and magic might be Immortals of Aveum, the upcoming game developed by Ascendant Studios and published by EA Originals. The game was just delayed and will now launch on August 22nd.