In 2006, Square Enix announced the production of the new chapter in their fantastic RPG franchise, Final Fantasy Versus XIII. Seven years later, the game has a new title – Final Fantasy XV – and after 10 years of waiting fans finally got a release date for this title scheduled in 2016.
Director Hajime Tabata has confirmed that the game will be released this same year, in a post on the official blog of Square Enix. “We will finally release FFXV this year, in 2016! In development, previous phases required wisdom and strength. However, moving forward the final phase will focus on effort and willpower. I vow to you all that every member in the team will do their best to the very last possible moment taking responsibility and pride in their craft” he wrote.
During those 10 years, very little information has been given about Final Fantasy XV. Last year, the PlayStation 3 has won a kind of demo of the game, called Episode Duscae, released as a limited bonus for players of Final Fantasy Type-0 HD.
The question is when exactly in the next 12 months the full game will hit stores. Final Fantasy XV will have different versions for Xbox One and PlayStation 4. A PC version is not yet planned yet.
Story of Final Fantasy XV is partially inspired by The Last of Us
In an interview with Examiner, the director of Final Fantasy XV, Hajime Tabata, talked about the anticipated RPG, and revealed an interesting detail: the history of this title will take some inspiration from The Last of Us, acclaimed game of Naughty Dog.
One of the central themes in Final Fantasy XV, will be the evolution of the protagonist Noctis and its growth from being a young prince to become king of the country. According to Tabata, developing as a person Noctis will be a big part of the game.
Another important element will be the bond between father and son. The director said that Noctis driving the car with his friends in Final Fantasy XV originally belonged to his father and is a metaphor for the human connections.
Tabata added that, broadly speaking, the goal of Square Enix for Final Fantasy XV is to make the story and narration fully consistent, so expect to learn the narrative handling of The Last of Us . “It’s important that the story through gameplay progresses naturally, similar to what was done in The Last of Us,” said the creator.