It has been some time since new information was revealed about Final Fantasy XVI, the latest installment in Square Enix's long-running RPG series. The game will be a PS5 console exclusive, at least for a while, and will feature real-time combat. Over the past few months, we have been expecting more details about FFXVI to be revealed at various Sony and Square Enix events, but both companies have been tight-lipped, at least until now. We finally got a substantial update on FFXVI, and it involved an unusual selection of voice actors for the game.

The information comes from Japanese YouTube channel WasyaganaTV, translated by DualShockers The staff at WasyaganaTV spoke with FFXVI producer Naoki Yoshida, who had a lot to say about motion capture and voice acting He said:

"We prioritize English recordings. We especially do it in British English. It's full capture, with the motion capture actors doing the voice acting at the same time. The Japanese dubbing will begin soon."

While this does not reveal the overall development process of FFXVI, it does give us two interesting pieces of information: first, it appears that Square Enix will be using British voice actors for Final Fantasy XV, as opposed to the primarily American cast This is a good thing. But aside from the accents, there will be no major changes to the game.

The more interesting aspect of this story is that Square Enix is working on the English version of FFXVI before the Japanese version. This is an unusual move since Square Enix is a Japanese company and is currently developing the game in Japan; since the release of Final Fantasy X (the first full-length FF title to feature voice acting) 20 years ago, the Japanese dub has always been at least a few months ahead of the English version.

Whether this has profound implications for the direction of the game and the series is debatable. Final Fantasy XV is not without precedent, as Western mocap actors have been used in Final Fantasy XV. Furthermore, Square Enix has not commented on whether the voice actor change will affect the release date of "FFXVI" in any way. Since "Final Fantasy XV" was released simultaneously worldwide, it would make sense for "FFXVI" to follow suit.

In any case, fans can rest assured that Final Fantasy XVI is still a work in progress and that development is advanced enough to include motion capture and voice recording. Beyond that, we'll have to wait for the next big announcement. However, Sony did not attend E3 2021, so perhaps the company will hold its own event sooner rather than later.