When Sony did their first major PS5 showcase, a title that popped up was Project Athia. It was something of head-scratcher since it’s clearly a working title and it was something from Square Enix that had not really been talked about it or had any real reference. We know the game will be a PS5 console exclusive for at least two years, even if we know little else. Some new rumors show that it was an important project for Square, though, and one they hoped to keep as secret as possible.
As reported by Imran Khan of Kinda Funny on their podcast, he said that Square Enix views the game as potentially their next big thing, and something of a pet project for the company’s CEO. Because of that, they kept it as secret as possible, even misleading people to believe it was Final Fantasy 16 before the real thing was revealed at the next PS5 event. Of course, treat this as rumor due to how it’s being reported, but Imran in general has been pretty reliable with solid sourcing.
It’s a bit odd considering how this doesn’t seem to be attached to a major brand that Square would go to such lengths to hide it, but if it’s true they say it as the next big thing I guess they wanted to keep it under wraps as much as possible. Project Athnia, or whatever its final name will be, is set to release on the PS5 and PC at some point in the future.