It’s that time of year again, the time when reports and rumors about new reveals for E3 run rampant across the internet. With less than a month to go before E3 2021 and the Summer Game Fest, we’re bound to see a plethora of information regarding titles that have yet to be announced, as is tradition each year. Today is no exception as Fanbyte is reporting on a rumor that Square Enix is preparing to announce a brand new entry in the Final Fantasy franchise, with an emphasis on action RPG like Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. In addition, the project is being developed by a completely different studio, Team Ninja, which is known for its own action-RPG series, Nioh.
This new Final Fantasy game is apparently similar to Nioh/Souls but more accessible and is connected to the very first Final Fantasy game on NES
Reveal to be around this E3
— Nibel (@Nibellion) May 24, 2021
It was also reported that the game will have the name Final Fantasy Origin, as it is somehow connected to the very first Final Fantasy title in the franchise. This supposed spinoff is also reportedly going to be “more accessible than Nioh for a wider audience” meaning that while the game would look and play like Team Ninja’s Nioh, it will more than likely be easier in terms of difficulty. Another bit of information coming out of this is that the title will launch for the PlayStation 5, with a PC port coming at a later date. Lastly, it was reported that Team Ninja will have a demo for this entry by this Summer in order to obtain feedback from the fans.
Obviously, there is a lot to take in with this one. However, there is an unusually large amount of information for this rumor, which means that it just might end up being true. On top of that, Square Enix and Team Ninja have already worked together on a previous Final Fantasy project, Dissidia Final Fantasy NT. While this was a fighting game a not a proper Final Fantasy game, it’s very possible that Square Enix saw some potential for another spin-off with the studio leading it. Either way, it’s a very interesting development, one that will be watched closely as we progress closer to E3 2021 and the Summer Game Fest.