According to Europe’s video game rating system, PEGI, Forspoken will get a “PEGI 18” rating when it comes out due to “strong suicide references and use of strong language.” PEGI then adds that the upcoming Luminos Productions game “contains use of strong language (‘f**k’), as well as milder terms. The PEGI rating also reveals that the game “offers players the opportunity to purchase in-game items, in the form of downloadable content packs, which some parents or careers may want to be aware of.” Forspoken’s more mature direction appears to mirror Square Enix’s plans for the upcoming Final Fantasy game, Final Fantasy 16. The interesting part is that the PEGI rating popped up just as rumors of Square Enix delaying Forspoken in favor of FF16 started appearing online. Even if the appearance of a rating doesn’t guarantee anything, it suggests that Forspoken will come out later this year, as previously announced. Unfortunately, this also suggests that Square Enix won’t have a big FF game to celebrate the franchise’s 35th anniversary. Releasing Final Fantasy 16 in December would have been the perfect way to cap off 2022, and the timeline fits after Naoki Yoshida, the producer of Final Fantasy 16, confirmed a few weeks ago that a trailer for FF16 was coming out soon with Square Enix just putting on the final touches for the game. Of course, we’re also holding out hope that FFVII Remake Part 2 comes out this year as well after the game’s director, Tetsuya Nomura, promised that more news is coming next month for the game’s 25th birthday. However, with Forspoken scheduled to launch in October and Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin hitting store shelves earlier this year, Square Enix risks cannibalizing the sales of its AAA titles if it doesn’t stagger their releases. Hopefully, we’ll find out more about Square Enix’s plans for the rest of the year in the next few months.
