To mark this week’s launch of Final Fantasy 16, Square Enix has revealed that protagonist Clive Rosfield’s sword has been turned into a real weapon for an exhibit at the Tower Of London.
Available for fans to visit from today (June 20) until July 19, the Tower Of London exhibit will host a real-world replica of Invictus — Clive Rosfield’s sword from Final Fantasy 16.
The sword is being displayed in partnership with the Royal Armouries, and is being housed on the first floor of London’s White Tower.
According to Square Enix, the blade took swordsmith Tod Todeschini several months to create, using a number of metalworking techniques.
“The first and most sizeable task was working out how to actually make it in reality,” said Todeschini. “I knew from the very start, this was not going to be an ordinary sword and challenging in every way, but I’m very pleased with the finished sword and proud that it will be available for the fans to view alongside the Royal Armouries collection in the Tower of London.”
Emma Mawdsley, keeper of Tower Armouries, said the museum is “very excited” to welcome Final Fantasy fans, and added that it’s “thrilling to see the historic art form of sword crafting continue to thrive in the video game space”.
As for Final Fantasy 16, the game is just days away from its PS5 launch on Thursday (June 22).
Ahead of its launch, Devil May Cry designer Ryota Suzuki has described the game as his own “personal masterpiece,” after serving as Final Fantasy 16‘s battle director.
“I’ve been making action games for the past 25 years in my career,” shared Suzuki. “I truly think this game is my own personal masterpiece. We put priority in designing this game’s battle system to appeal to those who previously have not played or are not well versed in action games.”