Final Fantasy 16 is out in a few months, but it won't be released everywhere. Why? Because there's a gay character in the game (who the devs refuse to remove) and so it's been pre-emptively banned in Saudi Arabia.
It can be hard to keep track of the Final Fantasy franchise, but all you need to really know for this story is that Final Fantasy 16 is coming out in a few months and it will include a gay character. And just as a Final Fantasy insider predicted a few months ago, the inclusion of this gay character is causing huge issues with the game's release in the Middle East. In fact, that's a bit of an understatement; it's already been banned in at least one country.
- If you aren't bothered by the inclusion of LGBT characters, you can pre-order FFXVI here.
Square Enix Refuse To Change Final Fantasy XVI For Saudi Audience
Saudi Arabia's General Authority for Audiovisual Media has now officially announced that Final Fantasy 16 will be banned in the country "due to the publisher's unwillingness to make the necessary modifications". Yep, you read that right, Square Enix have simply said "no" - they are refusing to change the game, even if it means losing access to a significant market.
We don't have an official response from Square Enix yet, and we don't expect them to make some kind of dramatic social media comeback. However, the situation might change if more countries in the region follow suit. We will keep you updated.
In lighter news, we already know the complete story of the new Zelda: