Final Fantasy XV aiming for a simultaneous worldwide release

By Kris Wouk August 12, 2015

final fantasy xv simultaneous global release gamescom 2015 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

For as long as the Final Fantasy games has been known as a series and not just one game, the pattern has been clear for new entries in the series: first they’re released in Japan, then some time later — maybe soon, maybe not — they make their way to the rest of the world.

For the first time for a main numbered entry in the series, Final Fantasy XV will be breaking that tradition. When the game is released, it will be released in all territories at once, meaning no wait for those of us outside of Japan.

“This may be something that we are little bit embarrassed to talk about, but really, this is the first time that we’ve done a packaged, standalone Final Fantasy game with a simultaneous global launch, so we didn’t have the setup to deal with that, really,” Final Fantasy XV director Hajime Tabata told GameSpot. “The first thing we had to do was rearrange our internal structure to create something that could do that. That was the first important work on the project.”

No release date has been set yet, but Tabata confirmed at Gamescom that his team was aiming to see Final Fantasy XV released in 2016. “We can certainly say to people: it’s not going to be 2017. It’s going to be before that,” Tabata said.

While a 2016 release would give Square Enix plenty of time to polish a feature-complete game, that isn’t the case with Final Fantasy XV. Game systems are still being implemented, while whether or not to include player-controlled airships — a series staple — is still being debated.

Final Fantasy XV is set to launch on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and while Square Enix has yet to confirm a launch date, we suspect it could be right around the corner.

For a brief glimpse of what the game’s story will have to offer, see the new trailer released last week at GamesCom below.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Kris Wouk is a tech writer, gadget reviewer, blogger, and whatever it's called when someone makes videos for the web. In his…

Gaming

Follow up Final Fantasy XVI with these 6 Square Enix game deals this Prime Day

Cloud, Zack, and Sephiroth stand back to back in Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion.

Square Enix is a very busy company. The publisher has spent the last few years churning out everything from Final Fantasy games to completely new franchises. That was especially true in 2022 and it’s already carried over into 2023 thanks to releases like Final Fantasy XVI, Forspoken, and Octopath Traveler 2. Even diehard fans of the publisher’s output may not have gotten around to everything it released in the last 12 months.

If you’re in that boat, I’ve got some good news. A major chunk of Square Enix’s recent game catalog is currently on sale for Prime Day. That includes a wide selection of titles from The Diofield Chronicle to Star Ocean: The Divine Force. Not only that, but the sale even includes discounts on most of the company’s 2023 games, including the best RPG of the year.

Gaming

The best Final Fantasy characters of all time

Main characters from Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade.

There are tons and tons of reasons people all over the world love the Final Fantasy series. Dating back to the NES, this JRPG series paved the way for games to grow into the medium we know them as today. Games of that era typically reserved their "story" for a small paragraph that was tucked away in the instruction manual and largely inconsequential to the actual game. Final Fantasy bucked that trend by creating worlds, stories, and characters that you grew to know and love, or hate, as the game went on. They were some of the first true narrative-driven adventures in gaming, and a major component in the series' continued success is delivering new and deep characters with each installment.

With the main series closing in on 20 entries (and they don't seem to be stopping anytime soon with Final Fantasy: Rebirth in the queue), not counting spinoffs, sequels, and non-numbered titles, the Final Fantasy series has introduced us to hundreds of memorable characters. From our heroic knights and reluctant saviors to devilish and downright mad villains, and all the party members met along the way, everyone has a favorite. Because there are just so many to pick from, and every gamer relates to something different, ranking the best characters would be an impossible task. Instead, we've compiled what we believe to be the definitive list, in no specific order, of the best Final Fantasy characters of all time. Heroes, villains, party members, and even NPCs are all eligible. Let's see who makes the cut!

Gaming

Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis isn’t the faithful remake you’re expecting

final fantasy vii ever crisis beta impressions 7 fire

When Final Fantasy VII Remake launched in 2020, it was a revelation for me. The bold reimagining taught me that a video game remake can be much more than a nostalgic revisit, instead using the history of the original to tell a high-concept story about destiny. Though I immediately revered it as one of gaming’s greatest accomplishments, others weren’t so pleased. There’s a not-so-small collection of purists out there who simply wanted a 1:1 remake of the PlayStation version with pretty graphics.

Fortunately for that crowd, Square Enix is delivering that faithful remake with Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis. Well, maybe not as faithful as you're expecting.