140°

Final Fantasy 16 ESRB Rating Surfaces, Marks It as M17 for "Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes"

The official Final Fantasy 16 ESRB rating has surfaced and has marked it as "M17+" for "partial nudity," "sexual themes" and more.

MrNinosan901d ago

Didn't we know this for months now?

MrNinosan901d ago

Same, this and Rebirth is above my hypometer.

CrimsonWing69901d ago

I think it’s funny how everyone has to draw such attention to this. Like, zomg bewbs and the sex!!! So, fu**ing what? Witcher 3 had nudity and sex, I don’t remember everyone having to point it out or giggle about it in every trailer reaction.

Like who’s the black girl from Easy Allies? Watch their trailer reaction, she literally can’t get over it and has to keep bringing it up while everyone is trying to discuss what the narrative possibilities are.

It’s like, yes the game is rated M and has a couple in bed with partial nudity. Whoop-dee-damn-doo-doo!

Snookies12901d ago (Edited 901d ago )

Final Fantasy has had no "M" rated titles other than Type-0. There has never been a mature Final Fantasy in the mainline series. That's why people are making a big deal about it. Because the rating alone shows that we are in for a very different Final Fantasy experience.

CrimsonWing69901d ago (Edited 901d ago )

You also have Strangers of Paradise.

My point is it’s not a big deal and there’s no need to be all *gasp* about sexual themes and partial nudity in an FF game. I’d say the gameplay makes this a “very different” FF experience more than the M rating. I can't see, like side boob, blood, and upping the swearing to f*ck, makes this a radically different experience?

LOGICWINS901d ago

I wonder if they'll maintain the "M" rating for future titles if FF16 sells above expectations. There aren't many mature fantasy JRPGs out there. I'd welcome more adult titles personally.

CrimsonWing69901d ago

@LOGICWINS

I can see them going that route if this sells as much as the others.

I found it funny, how they had to censor FF7 Remake when the original was T rated. The blood trail of Jenova being purple instead of red, for example.

Yoshi P said it restricts them, so I'm not sure which developer would want to go back to the T rating. Only thing I can think of is if this doesn't sell well, they'll likely blame it on an M rating, even though I highly doubt ratings are that restrictive to sales.

ChubbyBlade901d ago

Considering there are a total of 93 (including spin-offs and other releases) FF titles and only 2 of them are M rated, that’s why it’s a big deal.

This isn’t hard to understand.

CrimsonWing69901d ago (Edited 901d ago )

Ugh… there’s nothing hard to understand.

I think you’re missing my point completely.

It’s not a big deal, at all. I understand that a “mainline” Final Fantasy game has not been M rated, but there’ve been plenty of violence, Blood, swearing, and “mature” situations or suggestive themes. To make a big deal about it having more blood, swearing, partial nudity, and sexual themes is not that crazy.

And people making a big deal that there’s partial nudity or themes revolving around the act of a sexual encounter is just pathetic.

Belmont85901d ago

I bet my bottom dollar Shiva is behind all this.

-Gespenst-901d ago

Well we've already gotten a glimpse of one sexual scene in like the first or second trailer, iirc. Garuda lady and Odin guy are in the nip and either about to get it on, or just have. I doubt we'll see much more than that though.

NotoriousWhiz901d ago

Wait. This game is launching on PS4?

NostaglicFantasy901d ago

No, it's PS5 only, so it must be a mistake.

380°

“We Apologise And Would Like To Correct This”, Says Analyst Who Claimed FF 16 Only Sold 3.5M Copies

Final Fantasy 16 has likely sold more than 3.5 million copies.

Read Full Story >>
thegamer.com
GamerRN76d ago

The time happens! Never them is right when report.

VenomUK76d ago

The analyst is called Hideki Yasuda. In 2021 he claimed the 'Fall of PlayStation in Japan is “Definitive”'
https://nichegamer.com/rese...

In 2024 he Hideki Yasuda said The Sony Group may see PS5 as a failure and the envisioned goals are unattainable.
https://www.resetera.com/th...

Knushwood Butt76d ago

Curious as to what this means:

'The Japanese branch of GamesIndustry.biz (Translation: DeepL, adjusted)'.

What is DeepL?

Nerdmaster75d ago

@Knushwood Butt
It looks like you also don't know that Google is.

Pro-tip: enter google.com, type "What is DeepL?" and press enter.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 75d ago
oldenjon76d ago (Edited 76d ago )

FF16 sales the time, and tbh game the time

S2Killinit76d ago (Edited 76d ago )

What about all the damage he did? People were talking like this game was a flop.

StormSnooper76d ago

I think that is why he is apologizing. He wants to make sure he doesn’t get sued for defamation.

badz14976d ago

SE and Sony definitely should sue him

Babadook777d ago (Edited 77d ago )

This isn’t news. The analyst could be right or wrong. Square Enix hasn’t said anything.

mandf77d ago

He admitted he was wrong didn’t have knowledge of the actual sales

Babadook776d ago (Edited 76d ago )

When there is knowledge of actual sales you wouldn’t need an analyst. He more or less admits his analysis is wrong but that’s bound to happen in that field. They make predictions that they hope will be useful. This wasn’t.

Anyway, it seems people are taking my comment as an attack on this game. I like the game and hope it does well. Hopefully FF gets a resurgence. They pretty much deserve that. I just think this story is of no importance.

77d ago
tiron877d ago (Edited 77d ago )

Obviously a game that stayed on the top ten then regularly returned to the top 10/20 and then released on PC would have sold more than .5m more than the first week sales.

Final Fantasy 16 Sold 3 Million Copies During Launch Week
"Square Enix said the milestone includes both physical and digital sales on PlayStation 5."
https://www.ign.com/article...

77d ago
pwnmaster300077d ago

lol even with facts certain people will still not believe it

The Wood76d ago

@pwnmaster3000

They don't wanna believe....... narratives need to be upheld at all costs

Elantregaless76d ago

Steam user scores and Playstation scores indicate otherwise.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 76d ago
Elantregaless76d ago

Exactly. The analyst does not mean anything.
As far as we know the official sales are still at 3 million.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 76d ago
77d ago
thorstein77d ago

Analyst is wrong again. Shocking.

77d ago
CrashMania77d ago

Always thought it was the case, sold 3 million in the first week and 300k on PC from the last numbers we got, so only 200k extra copies in almost 2 years on PS5 and since the PC release?

Make it make sense lol

pwnmaster300077d ago

Doesn’t matter. People will still believe the mistake. How are you an analyst and get it wrong?

jznrpg76d ago

Analysts have agendas so you can not trust what they say in articles.

75d ago
JEECE76d ago

Yep. You better believe in two years when people are making an argument about big AAA games not selling enough, or PS5 exclusives not selling, or Japanese games not selling, or whatever the dumb argument happens to be, this "number" will get cited as evidence. The retraction never has the same reach as the false story.

mandf76d ago

That’s why propaganda works

75d ago
Show all comments (55)
250°

Final Fantasy XVI Sales Reach 3.5 Million, Lagging Behind Final Fantasy XV’s Launch Numbers

Lifetime sales of Square Enix's action role-playing game, Final Fantasy XVI, have reached 3.5 million copies.

Read Full Story >>
twistedvoxel.com
Cacabunga85d ago

A terrible game, but good it sold well then they keep the franchise alive. I hope they do better next time with an RPG and not a dmc clone..

CrimsonWing6985d ago (Edited 85d ago )

I think they’re saying it underperformed and isn’t selling well. It was 3 mill near launch, it only did 500k more and that’s even after a PC launch.

jukins85d ago

This article is a lie. They announced 3m in a week on ps5. It finished top 20 for the year it release and continued top 20 throughout 2024. By this logic it sold over 3m on launch week and then never sold another copy until pc release.

S2Killinit85d ago

Also, They are not considering that this was exclusive to PlayStation. Am I correct in this?

If so, its clickbait.

CrimsonWing6985d ago

@S2Killinit

They mention the PC version… like 3 mill was the announcement, like a month after release. Now, after the PC release there’s 3.5 mill units sold.

Square has already come out saying this and Rebirth underperformed. Considering how much they spent on development and marketing and the way sales aren’t moving to recoup cost, it’s a little concerning to me, especially as a mega-fan of this franchise.

I didn’t think 16 was the worst game I played, but outside of some epic boss battles and the Benedikta arc… I found it rather boring. The DLC have the best boss fights in a game I’ve played in a while though.

RaiderNation85d ago

Lol no, it's not a terrible game. Far from it actually. It's just not a FF game.

CosmicTurtle85d ago (Edited 85d ago )

The problem for me is that the combat was not varied or customisable enough to last the game’s play time.

Otherwise, I agree with RaiderNation it is the reason I held out from buying it until it initially, is it was not the genre I wanted. I am happy for a series to change and grow but I want an RPG to some extent. It’s a shame because it handled narrative and dialogue pretty well.

Nooderus85d ago

I really didn't enjoy it. Combat was trash, main character trash imo.

Cacabunga85d ago

You buy a game called FF to realize it’s something else is utter lie. I would never have bought it if it was called something else. The game is so boring and poorly exexuted. Beginning and ending are the good sides of it. Rest is trash

RaiderNation85d ago

@Cacabunga

What did you do? Walk into Gamestop and completely blind buy it without reading any of the reviews/previews or watching any of the YouTube reviews? Hell the game had a demo you could try out before deciding to buy! Don't give me the whole "wow I was completely blindsided by this and had no idea" excuse. That's on you. If you didn't like it, fine. Opinions vary. But don't act like you were a victim to some bait and switch attempt because that's just not reality.

Cacabunga85d ago (Edited 85d ago )

I am an old time FF fan so i never want to spoil any episode. I didnt even want to finish the demo. I liked the feel of it but i didnt expect it would turn into a pure action game.

No i dont watch reviews because they are subjective.

Its ok i didnt like the game things like this happen. Game was just ridiculous, side quests are absolute trash. I have platinum trophy I know what i am talking about.

I supported it as a FF fan, i hope they do better next time.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 85d ago
Nooderus85d ago

Agreed, worse than ff13 by far

MeteorPanda85d ago

if you played ff 14 this really did feel like an improved mmo...that is 10 years old.

first ff entry l barely finished and traded in. Bloody horrible storytelling. The story was okay, the execution was cringe af.

Amazingly however the first part was the best part, the demo being the highlight.

FernDiggidy85d ago

Terrible is fucking insane. Keep swallowing crayons

AnotherGamer84d ago

You really can't be serious lol

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 84d ago
Npugz785d ago

Are you serious? This was not a terrible game at all it was very good!

FernDiggidy85d ago

Good game for sure, certainly not terrible. Very good is debatable.

ravens5285d ago

Great game. Doesn't seem like PC helped at all of these numbers are correct.

JEECE85d ago

Yeah, these numbers are a little hard to believe. If it sold 3 million in the first week and had even a semi-decent launch on PC, for these numbers to be right you'd have to assume it sold basically zero copies on PS5 after its launch week. Given it was in the NPD Top Ten in its second month, and the top twenty its third month, that's hard to believe, even if I'm sure they anticipated it charting higher for longer. That's to say nothing of sales boosts it probably got from PSN sales.

nommers85d ago

The link that the article is mentioning doesn’t give much context. It likely needs good translation as well.

raWfodog85d ago

I hope this helps the 'complete' edition go on sale for a huge discount. It went on sale a while ago for only about 25% off but I'm waiting for that 50% off (or higher) sweet spot.

GhostScholar85d ago

It underperformed because it was on less platforms I get no one wants to admit
That

Elda85d ago

It wouldn't have sold that much that better had it also released on XB, people on XB would have only played FFXVI if it was on Gamepass.

DivineHand12585d ago (Edited 85d ago )

If it has the opportunity to launch on all platforms at launch then yes the sales would have been better but it is difficult to say by how much. It would have benefited from the excitement and marketing in that window.

One thing to bear in mind is that it would be a struggle to get the game running on the Xbox because of the series S. The game does not hit a stable 60 on either the base PS5 or PS5 Pro. Based on Digital foundry, it only hits 60 FPS during fight sequences on base PS5. The game is also set to have dynamic resolution so instead of prioritizing frame rate in non battle sequences, the game prioritizes resolution making it difficult for the PS5 Pro to maintain 60 FPS as the game tries to reach 4k native instead of using PSSR. Square really should have updated the game.

I am not saying all this to be unfair to the Xbox because I believe I am one of the most fair users towards that platform on this site. I am just giving you my honest opinion based on my experience with the game.

Show all comments (48)
60°

Just Let Me Be the Big Monster: A Final Fantasy 16 Rant

Players just want to smash wild Chocobos into oblivion.

Read Full Story >>
loprototypetech.com
DivineHand12586d ago (Edited 86d ago )

Final Fantasy 16 was a great game. It had one of the best combat systems out of many JRPGs. It does have some elements of it that could be better, like what the author of this article said. It would have been nice to be able to use fully transformed Eikons at will like in the previous games. I believe the FF13 and FF7 remakes were the last to allow players to do this. Let us hope FF17 will allow players to use summons at will.

POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT: There are some other elements story-wise that could have been better. I would have preferred if Clive was more militant, and he rebelled against the non-Bearers much like Spartacus. That would have had me more invested in the story than him not wanting to change the status quo despite the harsh treatment Bearers across the kingdom faced from their slavers. I also think the FF games in general need to start distancing themselves from these bittersweet endings and give us a happier ending. Yes, you defeated the bad guy, but what is the point if the main characters can't enjoy the victory?