Final Fantasy 16 devs previously worked on an asymmetrical co-op game that was "basically Bloodborne"
Producer Naoki Yoshida was attached to the project before needing to fix Final Fantasy 14.
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Some of the lead developers behind Final Fantasy 16 apparently previously worked on a Bloodborne-like, asymmetrical multiplayer game that was ultimately cancelled.
According to Final Fantasy 16's very own Naoki Yoshida, both himself and several other lead devs worked on a separate fantasy game that they said was "basically Bloodborne." This comes from Yoshida's own biweekly Famitsu column 'Yoshida Uncensored', which has been translated by a fan, with the segment discussing this cancelled game highlighted on ResetEra.
This Bloodborne-like game was apparently about a year in development before Yoshida, Hiroshi Takai, Kazutoyo Maehiro, and Hiroshi Minagawa, the first three of which were brought on to fix Final Fantasy 14. The game was apparently a "fairly hardcore action game," according to Yoshida. "If we'd kept going and Bloodborne was released first, we'd probably be freaking out right now," Minagawa said, apparently laughing while he said so.
"It had the same weapons and guns. And it was in Gothic style," said Takai, with Yoshida quipping "Where had I seen this before…?"
Bloodborne did have online multiplayer elements, like the Souls games before it, but this cancelled game apparently was more like an asymmetric multiplayer game, pitting four players against one, with the solo player killer would have stronger powers and attempt to kill the others. "It was basically Bloodborne plus that system… If we'd kept going, I think we'd still be working on it right now," explained Yoshida.
Of course with the mention of this cancelled game, some fans are speculating that this might have influenced the design of Final Fantasy 16. Takai, director of 16, also previously served as a designer on Devil May Cry V, so action combat is clearly going to be a major part of the game. And while not gothic, it is going back to a more mediaeval-inspired setting, also looking to be a bit darker in tone, so some ideas could have been translated into the next mainline Final Fantasy.