Final Fantasy 16's development has been pushed back, with the "next big reveal" set for spring 2022.      
  
This is according to a tweet posted on December 27 by producer Naoki Yoshida, who explained how the Coronavirus outbreak has hampered the anticipated title's development.
"As the newest installment in the Final Fantasy series being created for the PlayStation 5, Final Fantasy 16 has amassed a sizable crew comprising of outstanding designers from all around the world," the message continues.

"However, in order to mitigate the effects of COVID-19, we've had to decentralize that workforce by allowing employees to work from home," Yoshida explains. "Unfortunately, this has impacted communication with the Tokyo office, which has resulted in asset delivery delays – or, in extreme situations, cancellations – from our outsource partners."

A message from Final Fantasy XVI producer Naoki Yoshida. #FF16 #FFXVI pic.twitter.com/qtfJUUp6LA

— FINAL FANTASY XVI (@finalfantasyxvi) December 27, 2021

The Square Enix title has yet to be given a release date, but this comment suggests that it will not be released until late 2022 or, more likely, early 2023, with Yoshida stating that the next "major announcement" for the title will take place in spring of 2022.

Yoshida had stated in October of this year that Final Fantasy 16 was nearing completion and that the core design had been done. According to Yoshida's most recent letter, there is still work to be done on graphic resource quality, combat systems, individual battles, finishing cutscenes, and overall graphic optimizations.

Following reports that Yoshida was too preoccupied to work on both the critically praised MMORPG Final Fantasy 14 and the planned Final Fantasy 16, he stated, "This is completely not true, I am feverishly working on it, so I hope you'll remain with me from here on out."