Square Enix is said to be "heavily invested" in Project Athia according to an industry insider

Project Athia
(Image credit: Square Enix)

Square Enix is said to be "heavily invested in its mysterious new title, Project Athia, according to industry insider Imran Khan.

Speaking in the latest episode of Kinda Funny Games (via resetera), Khan spoke about Square Enix's upcoming title Project Athia, and revealed some details about the studio's investment in the game. 

"I think Sony knows what Square's internal prospects are for this game [Project Athia]", Khan says. "Square is very heavily invested in this. They want this to be the next big thing." 

Khan goes on to explain that Square Enix CEO Yosuke Matsuda is "really focusing on Athia," and that Sony is likely to "go hard on exclusivity and marketing for this game since it's "a big reveal and an important project" for Square Enix. Just recently in a video highlighting its new and upcoming PS5 games, Sony revealed that Athia will be a PS5 exclusive for at least two years, as well as launching on PC.  

Project Athia is the working title for the game, and so far Square Enix hasn't divulged very much about it since its initial trailer reveal during the June PS5 showcase. It was so mysterious, in fact, that many began to speculate if it was in fact actually Final Fantasy 16. Khan even touches on this very subject. 

"The one thing I will say about this game... This game was such a secret project for a long time that they were telling people to mislead them that it was Final Fantasy 16, which led to a lot of confusion where people thought it was going to be revealed as FF16, including me for a while." 

So far, we know it's set to be an open-world action game, but we've only seen very brief glimpses of its world and protagonist. Interestingly, Khan claims that a "known celebrity" will feature in the game, with the only hint given being that "she was in Charlie's Angels". For now, all we can do is speculate about who that might be from the film, but many are already theorizing that it could be Ella Balinska - it's certainly a tantalising little teaser. 

Keep track of everything on the horizon with our round-up of upcoming games 2020 and beyond. 

Heather Wald
Senior staff writer

I started out writing for the games section of a student-run website as an undergrad, and continued to write about games in my free time during retail and temp jobs for a number of years. Eventually, I earned an MA in magazine journalism at Cardiff University, and soon after got my first official role in the industry as a content editor for Stuff magazine. After writing about all things tech and games-related, I then did a brief stint as a freelancer before I landed my role as a staff writer here at 12DOVE. Now I get to write features, previews, and reviews, and when I'm not doing that, you can usually find me lost in any one of the Dragon Age or Mass Effect games, tucking into another delightful indie, or drinking far too much tea for my own good. 

Latest in Games
Jordan A. Mun looks at herself in a mirror in just a vest in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet screenshot
5 years after starting development, Neil Druckmann says Naughty Dog's new game Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is "still evolving and changing as we're making it"
Silent Hill f
After 2 years of silence, the next mainline Silent Hill game is getting a dedicated stream this week with "the latest news"
FC 25
FC 25 FUT Birthday guide and full cards list
Original Xbox console
Former Microsoft exec says the first Xbox was killed early in favor of 360 because it was "losing money left right and center," but luckily "we could afford to hemorrhage cash"
A Monster Hunter Wilds character holding binoculars.
Despite Monster Hunter Wilds suffering monstrous performance problems on PC, it still outsold the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions in the US
Jordan A. Mun looks at herself in a mirror in just a vest in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet screenshot
The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann says Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet will also be about "being lonely," as if his zombie apocalypse wasn’t isolating enough: "I really want you to be lost"
Latest in News
Saitama in One-Punch Man season 3
A One-Punch Man controversy has erupted after it was revealed the divisive new season 3 trailer was the work of only one animator: "Morale isn't great right now"
Diego Luna as Cassian Andor in Andor season 2
Andor season 2 showrunner Tony Gilroy breaks silence on the weird release schedule: "It's a Disney decision"
Lenovo Legion Go S with Xbox logo on screen next to white Series X controller on woodgrain surface
The rumored Xbox handheld isn't what you think, and I'm hoping it'll solve my Windows 11 problems
Jordan A. Mun looks at herself in a mirror in just a vest in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet screenshot
5 years after starting development, Neil Druckmann says Naughty Dog's new game Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is "still evolving and changing as we're making it"
Silent Hill f
After 2 years of silence, the next mainline Silent Hill game is getting a dedicated stream this week with "the latest news"
Original Xbox console
Former Microsoft exec says the first Xbox was killed early in favor of 360 because it was "losing money left right and center," but luckily "we could afford to hemorrhage cash"