Final Fantasy XV Development Will Continue Throughout 2018

During an Active Time Report livestream at Tokyo Game Show 2017, Final Fantasy XV director Hajime Tabata announced Square Enix will continue to update the game throughout 2018.

Feshing out FFXV’s main story and characters will be the main thrust of future updates. Tabata told the TGS audience, “Not only are we further investigating characters through additional episodes, if we don’t convey the setting that is the foundation of the world, we won’t be able to convey the characters’ way of life.” (Translation from Gematsu via Games Talk.)

Redditor xXRaineXx posted a lengthy translation of the ATR to the FFXV subreddit, which you can read in full here. A couple things caught our eye: there’ll be a single-player component to the Comrades DLC, set in Lestallum. The next story update will focus on the Astrals -- already hinted at the recent FFXV Universe TGS trailer -- and link directly to Episode Ignis. Tabata concluded by saying the team plans to announce a roadmap of updates and DLC for 2018 by the end of this calendar year.

Tabata and the FFXV team have already done a stellar job with post-launch support for the game, so we’re delighted to hear there’s more Chocobro fun ahead in the months to come. As much as we grumbled about the undercooked aspects of the story after our first playthrough, the latest installment in the franchise does reach some truly memorable high notes that have kept us coming back for more. Since release, it’s only gotten better. March’s free update to the game’s widely panned Chapter 13 made the Gralea section more enjoyable and easier to understand; it was a substantive change that added new gameplay and plot elements, exceeding expectations.

It’s not clear at this stage whether the 2018 FFXV updates will take the form of free patches, paid DLC, or both. The game’s DLC has been pretty good so far: while Episode Gladiolus wasn’t anything to write home about, Episode Prompto was a rollicking good time, and there’s a lot to look forward to when best boy Ignis steps into the spotlight in December. Given the team’s commitment to making FFXV the best it can be, we wouldn’t mind throwing SE a little extra cash next year, particularly for the youthful adventures of Ardyn or some World of Ruin hijinks with Demon Hunter Iris. We also wouldn’t say no to exploring Tenebrae or getting our hands dirty in a Ignis cooking game.

Are you excited to hear there’s more FFXV content on the horizon? Or are you ready to move on to other games? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.