Final Fantasy XVI hits stores worldwide in a little more than a month away, however, one country is inhibiting its upcoming release, by order of its government. Saudi Arabia's General Commission for Audiovisual Media has announced a ban on Square Enix's latest entry in its storied role-playing game franchise.

This announcement was made via a tweet from the Saudi Arabia Public Authority for Media, with the reason being Square Enix not making "necessary modifications".

"For fans of the #FinalFantasyXIV game, we would like to clarify that it has not been released in the Kingdom, due to the publisher's unwillingness to make the necessary modifications.

Public Authority for Media"

لمحبي لعبة #FinalFantasyXIV، نود التوضيح بأنها لم تفسح بالمملكة، وذلك بسبب عدم رغبة الناشر بإجراء التعديلات اللازمة.

الهيئة العامة للإعلام #المرئي_والمسموع #تصنيف_الألعاب pic.twitter.com/5OuWZJGEvX

— التصنيف العمري للألعاب الإلكترونية (@VGAR_SA) May 3, 2023

These "necessary modifications" Saudi Arabia demands may come as no surprise. Final Fantasy XVI, stated to carry even darker themes than previous entries, is rated "Mature" by the ESRB for excessive violence, dismemberment, and sexual themes. Brothels may have a presence in the game, prostitution is likely implied through character dialogue. Another reason could be the possible inclusion of an LGBT+ character in the game. 

The Saudi government aims to gain a stronger foothold in gaming. In recent months, they have increased their stock in companies like Capcom and Nintendo, while wanting to play a bigger role in being a leader in eSports. With that, they also have very strict towards content in media and demand heavy edits to games and movies, and expressions of homosexuality are illegal in the country, and human rights issues remain a huge problem for the citizens. Final Fantasy XVI is one of the summer's biggest releases, and Square Enix is not budging to meet Saudi Arabia's demands.

Final Fantasy XVI launches exclusively for the PlayStation 5 on June 22nd, 2023