The realm of open-world games may appear overcrowded at times, and in 2022 already there have been several open-world titles released including Horizon Forbidden West, Elden Ring, and Ghostwire: Tokyo, to name a few. However, there are always developers looking to reinvent the genre and prove to gamers that there is still plenty of innovation that is possible. One of the upcoming games that plans to do this Luminous Productions' Forspoken, which takes common Isekai tropes and applies them to a story about a rough-and-tough New Yorker who finds herself mysteriously transported to dangerous fantasy lands. The game has caught the attention of gamers for various reasons, including the protagonist's penchant for making witty quips and the unique travel methods on offer that allow players to zip across the landscape at stunning speeds.

Forspoken's trailers and gameplay reveals have let gamers get a glimpse of what they can expect from the upcoming game. However, as soon as gamers feel like they will finally experience Frey Holland's adventure, the game's release date keeps getting pushed back. Forspoken has had a long development history fraught with difficulty, but its delay into 2023 may ultimately be a good thing for Square Enix, and it ensures that the company will have an upcoming year full of headliners.

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Forspoken's Long Development Story

Forspoken Tanta Explained

Luminous Productions is a Square Enix studio formed in 2018, and it is mostly composed of the same team that worked on Final Fantasy 15. The studio is named after Square Enix's Luminous Engine, which was used for Final Fantasy 15, and it is being used for Forspoken's development. Consequently, gamers should expect some similarities between Final Fantasy 15 and Forspoken, although Forpsoken has proven itself to have a unique identity. The studio has lofty ambitions, and it plans to expand beyond gaming and create other entertainment content, too.

Forspoken was first revealed in 2020, but back then it was still called Project Athia. Since then, plenty of information has been revealed about the game. The team behind it is a very competent one that features more than a few big names, including Uncharted's Amy Hennig who will serve as a writer and God of War's Bear McCreary who will serve as a music composer. Forspoken will be a narrative-based adventure, and the team has also emphasized ensuring that players have a visually stunning, cinematic experience. Hence, the game will feature ray-tracing and large-scale environments.

Forspoken follows Frey, a New York girl whose life has been anything but rosy. Her life takes an interesting turn when she is transported to the magical land of Athia, where she discovers she has magical powers. Things are not at peace in Athia because it is being controlled by Tantas, which are dangerous and powerful matriarchs. Frey will have to learn to master her powers and deal with the Tantas if she hopes to find her way hope. Fortunately, she will not be going on her adventure alone, and some companions will help her along, including a talking cuff named Cuff, Johedy the archivist, and a kind woman named Auden.

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Forspoken was initially scheduled to be released on 24 May 2022, however, it was later pushed back significantly and was given a new release date of 11 October. On Twitter, the developers claimed that they decided to delay the game to give them a little more time to polish it. Things seemed to be going fine, but it was recently announced that Forspoken has been delayed once again, this time to January 24, 2023. The developers assured gamers that all the game elements are complete, and it is all just a matter of dealing with the final polishing phase. They also revealed that they would be sharing more of Forspoken soon.

While delays can be disappointing, it may be worth it if it results in a more polished game in the end. Although the gameplay shown in trailers is very enticing, some have pointed out that Forspoken's vast open world does look empty and unpopulated at times. The extra development time could allow Luminous Productions to make Aitha feel more alive. Furthermore, Forspoken's delay helps to bolster Square Enix's line-up of 2023 games, and the company could have an endless line of hits next year.

2023 is looking good for Square Enix

Final Fantasy 16 Clive Ifrit Theory

With Forspoken's delay, it will now be released alongside a few Final Fantasy games, which makes it a good year for gamers who are fans of fantasy experiences. The long-awaited Final Fantasy 16 will focus on the land of Valisthea, which is cursed by the Blight, and the game is slated for a summer 2023 release. Gamers can also look forward to Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth in winter 2023. It serves as the sequel to 2020's Final Fantasy 7 Remake.

There are also a few games that have not had confirmed release dates but will possibly release next year. This includes Kingdom Hearts 4, which has been in development since 2020. In 2021, an NVIDIA GeForce Now database leak featured a list of several unreleased games, and it included Kingdom Hearts 4 with a September 2023 release date, though this has not been confirmed or denied by Square Enix. Gamers could also possibly see Dragon Quest 12 in 2023, as Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii addressed fans in May this year to assure them that the team is still hard at work on the game.

For gamers who were eagerly awaiting Forspoken's release, the delay is likely a huge disappointment. However, the extra time spent in development will result in a superior game, and there are still plenty of great games left to fill up the remainder of 2022. Square Enix benefits from the delay, as it now has an upcoming year stuffed with great releases, including a few from its flagship Final Fantasy franchise.

Forspoken is scheduled to release on 24 January 2023 on PC and PS5.

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