The director of ‘Final Fantasy XV’ isn’t finished yet
Final Fantasy XV was a long time coming. After a decade of delays, it’s not surprising that both Square Enix and the game’s director, Hajime Tabata, are saying they aren’t finished with Noctis and his bro squad. With not even a whisper of Final Fantasy XVI, the rest of this year (and part of 2018) is focused on the Final Fantasy XV universe: PC versions, more chapter expansions, more mobile iterations and a multiplayer mode. I talked to Tabata, the man who steered the 15th iteration to the finish line, here at Gamescom and he explained what worked, what didn’t and somehow tricked me into evangelizing about that mobile game. (Unfortunately, he didn’t say a thing about that bizarre Assassin’s Creed collaboration, mere hours before it was announced.)
Would you do something similar to this again?
Perhaps not exactly the same. In some ways, this was an experiment. We’re going to build on that; we will make something epic again, but I’d like to think we’d focus on the individual parts a little more so they might better stand alone.
Final Fantasy XV‘s development was notable in that the team actively sought out feedback from players and fans following beta demos and updates. Was there anything that surprised you from that feedback?
The game was a simultaneous world release [a first for the series], and this meant we got to see the nuances in play style from gamers around the world. In one of the bigger demos, Episode Duscae, feedback from European and American gamers was largely positive, with many gamers praising the freedom of gameplay. With a lot of our Japanese players, however, they were less impressed with the open world style — they didn’t like the degree of freedom.
What was the reaction to FFXV at launch?
Most of our fans seemed to enjoy the experience, which was great to hear. A few, however, didn’t feel satisfied with the final part of the game. [The team subsequently adjusted the final parts of the game in an update after launch.]
Many thought that Chapter 13 was difficult, so we adjusted to game to ensure those players were more satisfied. After the game, we had already planned the subsequent DLC chapters and a multiplayer mode, which will launch in full later this year. These parts of the “universe” are aimed at expanding the story of FFXV, to increase player satisfaction further.
So what is the Final Fantasy XV universe all about? We already had a short-run anime series and full-length CGI movie ahead of launch.
The “universe” can be split into two halves. Firstly, with the anime and movie, we were looking to increase awareness of the game to different audiences and fans, building up to the game’s release.
After launch, we shifted focus to both improve and expand the existing game — to build upon the feeling of camaraderie established during the game. We also wanted to bring the game to those that hadn’t (or were unable) to play the console titles, which led to the PC version and the Pocket Version.
What do these extra parts of the universe add?
If you watch Kingsglaive or Brotherhood, I think you’ll get a better view of the world where the game is set. A grander scale, a more fully realized story. That said, some fans who only see one part might be left with a negative impression, or like they’ve missed crucial parts of the tale.
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