Earlier this month at Gamescom, Final Fantasy XV director Hajime Tabata all but confirmed that the game would be released in 2016, saying that the release date was “not going to be 2017. It’s going to be before that.”
Over the weekend at PAX in Seattle, Tabata reaffirmed that confirmation, this time to an entire panel audience. Though he didn’t offer anything more about when the game would be released, Tabata did say that Square Enix would share details on the game’s release at a “special event” to be held in March 2016, according to Polygon.
While details on the release date were scarce, plenty of information about the game proper was on display. Final Fantasy XV is still undergoing intensive development, with systems like the camera, AI, and combat all seeing plenty of changes. Tabata said that these systems were anywhere from 30 to 80 percent complete.
The game system Tabata spent the most of his time talking about was the driving mode. The car used by Noctis and friends throughout the game is known as the Regalia, and two modes will give players the choice of deciding how hands-on they want to be with the car. Auto mode allows the player to simply kick back and enjoy the ride, while manual mode sees Noctis hop into the driver’s seat, giving the player control of the car.
In a surprising touch of realism from a game known for the fantastic, the Regalia can run out of gas if players aren’t careful. At this point players have the choice of calling in for help or pushing the car to the nearest gas station. Those who played the Episode Duscae demo have already seen this.
As we reported earlier this month, Final Fantasy XV will be the first game in the history of the franchise to see a simultaneous worldwide release. Now we just need to wait until March to find out exactly when that will be.
