Final Fantasy XVI is the first entry in the venerable RPG series to receive a Mature rating, although it’s not simply down to the game being more violent. Speaking with Game Informer, producer Naoki Yoshida revealed that it’s a combination of the fact regulations are stricter and games are becoming more realistic.
We actually get this question kind of a lot – people ask us if the rating went up because [we] wanted to make a more violent game, and the answer to that is no. On the outside, it doesn’t appear [the rating system] has changed. You still have your E, you still have your Teen, and you still have your Mature. The problem is that over the years, as more games have come out and as we move forward, the regulations within those have actually changed a lot.
Prior to restrictions becoming greater, Yoshida-san revealed that studios could do “much, much more,” but now, “we’re finding ourselves not able to do as much to get the same rating we did before.” As an example, the producer said that if someone is hit by an arrow, while it would have been a Teen rating before, it’s now Mature “because it’s too realistic now.”
Final Fantasy XVI is scheduled for release on June 22, 2023 for PS5.
[Source – Game Informer]