Skip to main content

Final Fantasy XV aiming for a simultaneous worldwide release

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.

Recommended Videos

“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.”

Please enable Javascript to view this content

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.

Kris Wouk
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…
Xbox has added the first six Final Fantasy games to Xbox, PC
Pixelated heroes on the right up against four black nights on the left. Below is the Final Fantasy turn-based control screen in blue.

Final Fantasy I-VI Pixel Remaster | TGS Xbox Announcement

Xbox on Thursday surprise-dropped some Square Enix JRPGs, including six Final Fantasy games and two Mana titles, fon Xbox and PC following an announcement at the Tokyo Games Show.

Read more
Sony fixes PS5 bug that was breaking Final Fantasy 16
Final Fantasy 16's cover showcasing its protagonist infront of two demon summons.

Sony has released a fix to a recent firmware update that reportedly caused games like Final Fantasy 16 to experience intense graphical glitches and other issues. Publisher Square Enix confirmed on the official Final Fantasy 16 X (formerly Twitter) account on Friday that there is now a small update for PlayStation 5 players to install.

"In response to the crashes and graphical bugs that were occurring on the PlayStation 5 version of Final Fantasy 16, [Sony Interactive Entertainment has]released a new system update. Please try downloading and installing this update," the post reads. It added that it'll continue to look into the problems along with SIE.

Read more
Recent PS5 firmware update may have caused big issues in some games
Final Fantasy 16's main cast standing together.

The latest PlayStation 5 firmware update has reportedly caused a lot of problems for players, making some games like Final Fantasy XVI practically unplayable thanks to intense graphical glitches.

Most of the reports (via Tom's Hardware) have come from players, although the official X (formerly Twitter) Final Fantasy XVI account said that Square Enix is looking into the issue.

Read more