In case you haven’t heard, there is a new mainline Final Fantasy game releasing this week and its demo has caused quite the stir, in a good way. Square Enix has been full speed ahead on the marketing trail for nearly a month, hosting a media tour and pre-launch event, in addition to the demo’s release. Despite other major releases this month, including Diablo IV and Street Fighter 6, Final Fantasy XVI has managed to stay in the spotlight leading up to its launch on June 22.
So at this point, we expect any and all sorts of cross-marketing opportunities to show up, but we can’t say we expected this one to happen. Square Enix has unveiled an exclusive, one-month only exhibition at the historic castle of the Tower of London so fans can see a real-world replica of Clive Rosfield’s sword from the game. Yes, Square Enix commissioned renowned swordsmith Tod Todeschini, who crafted the sword over a number of months.
Square Enix then partnered with Royal Armouries to have the sword on display on the first floor of the White Tower, the most infamous castle keep in the world located at the center of the Tower of London. Royal Armouries is the world-famous museum that houses the U.K.’s national collection of arms and armor. This is the first time a sword created from a video game has ever been housed in the Royal Armouries alongside armor once owned by Kings.
Where are our real Moogles and Chocobos Square Enix?
“It’s thrilling to see the historic art form of sword crafting continue to thrive in the videogame space and what better way to celebrate this than by displaying this exclusive sword from FINAL FANTASY XVI alongside the Royal Armouries collection of arms and armour,” said Emma Mawdsley, Keeper of Tower Armouries. “We are always looking at ways to engage new audiences with our collections across the Museum’s three sites, so we’re very excited to welcome fans of the franchise and gamers alike to the Royal Armouries in the Tower of London.”
