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Scrapped 'Final Fantasy XV' DLC will live on as a novel
Square Enix left Final Fantasy XV fans hanging in the lurch when it scrapped most of the game's DLC, but that doesn't mean you'll be left wondering what happens next. The developer is borrowing a cue from Mass Effect: Andromeda by releasing a novel, The Dawn of the Future, to fill in what's left of the storyline. It promises to pick up where the Episode Ardyn add-on leaves off and will be available in Japan on April 25th, or just a month after Ardyn's March 26th debut.
'Final Fantasy XV' loses its director and most DLCs
Final Fantasy XV has lost its director Hajime Tabata and the majority of its upcoming DLCs. The news was announced during a Square Enix livestream where the publisher also showed a teaser for the one surviving DLC, Episode Ardyn (due March 2019). Episode Aranea, Episode Lunafreya, and Episode Noctis, which formed the "Dawn of the Future" DLC plan, have all been cancelled.
'Final Fantasy XV' team forms a studio to develop new IPs
Square Enix wants to expand its offerings with brand new AAA titles, and it's relying on Final Fantasy XV's developers to make that a reality. FFXV director Hajime Tabata and the game's core developers are leaving their old division to form a studio within Square Enix called "Luminous Productions" (LP). The subsidiary's purpose is to create new IPs and to "deliver new AAA titles to the world."
'Final Fantasy XV: Pocket Edition' launches February 9th
It looks like Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition, the mobile version of the console and PC game, is just around the corner. According to an App Store listing, it will hit iOS on February 9th for players who have an iPhone 6s or later, late model iPad or iPad Pro. The game also appeared on Google Play back in August last year, and while the release date isn't mentioned there, you can pre-register to find out when it arrives.
‘Final Fantasy XV’ hero Noctis heads to ‘Tekken 7’ next year
Given what cross-promotion Square Enix has done to bring other games into Final Fantasy XV, it's no surprise that they're lending out some of its elements, too. The hero of last year's hit RPG, Prince Noctis, will be added to the roster of Tekken 7 sometime in Spring 2018, though it seems you'll need to buy the fighting game's Season Pass to unlock him.
‘Final Fantasy XV’ multiplayer DLC pushed back to November 15th
Back in September, Square Enix announced upcoming multiplayer DLC titled Comrades for Final Fantasy XV, its blockbuster game that came out a year ago. Unfortunately, the extra content was delayed past its initial Halloween release date, but not for much longer: The publisher tweeted that it's coming out on November 15th.
‘Final Fantasy XV’ multiplayer DLC arrives October 31st
Final Fantasy XV dominated last year's holiday season, and impressively, the game's managed to stay relevant throughout 2017. Whether it's temporary events, side story DLC, mobile games or crossovers into other titles, it's stayed on players' radar. Like earlier extra content, Final Fantasy XV's next release explores a gap in the main game's story. Players will get to create their own custom character and fight monsters with their friends. That's right -- it's multiplayer.
The director of 'Final Fantasy XV' isn't finished yet
Final Fantasy XV was a long time coming. After a decade of delays, it's not surprising that both Square Enix and the game's director, Hajime Tabata, are saying they aren't finished with Noctis and his bro squad. With not even a whisper of Final Fantasy XVI, the rest of this year (and part of 2018) is focused on the Final Fantasy XV universe: PC versions, more chapter expansions, more mobile iterations and a multiplayer mode. I talked to Tabata, the man who steered the 15th iteration to the finish line, here at Gamescom and he explained what worked, what didn't and somehow tricked me into evangelizing about that mobile game. (Unfortunately, he didn't say a thing about that bizarre Assassin's Creed collaboration, mere hours before it was announced.)
Wait, 'Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition' is actually fun?
A part of the Final Fantasy XV universe (it's a thing), I wrinkled my nose at the news of Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition for smartphones. I've completed the game on PS4, have played through the episode content and will be playing the multiplayer add-on once I'm back from Gamescom, but this left me cold. This was a corporate mobile cash-in that vaguely tied into the original game, one that would relentlessly nudge players to either buy in-app items or the full console version. Nothing was appealing about this, whatsoever. That was, until I played an early beta on FFXV Director Hajime Tabata's phone. I was rude, it was in the middle of an interview but, hey, it was actually a lot of fun. Wait, what just happened?
'Final Fantasy XV' comes to your phone this fall
Square Enix is bent on bringing Final Fantasy XV to every platform imaginable, and that includes the phone in your pocket. It just unveiled a Pocket Edition of the road trip role-playing game that will hit Android, iOS and Windows 10 (yes, despite its dwindling influence) this fall. Its first episode will be free to play, while you'll have to fork out an unspecified amount to continue the tale of Noctis and crew. The title includes the "main story" and characters, but don't expect a carbon copy of the game you can buy on your console.
'Final Fantasy XV' coming to PC early next year
Square Enix has milked Final Fantasy XV, offering not only PS4 and Xbox One console versions, but also a (bad) free mobile game, branded Sony Walkman and even a cookbook. What it doesn't have yet, surprisingly, is a Windows version of the game, but that's going to change soon. Final Fantasy XV Windows Edition is coming in early 2018, NVIDIA announced during its Gamescom press conference, and is of course loaded with NVIDIA tweaks and features.
The 'Final Fantasy XV' bromobile invades 'Forza Horizon 3' next week
Final Fantasy XV's Regalia hot rod is coming to Forza Horizon 3 next week. So yup, you can continue that game's epic road trip across Horizon's digital Australia come August 1st. Assuming you've played either game on Xbox, next week you'll get an Xbox Live message containing a download code.
The 'Final Fantasy XV' mobile game is a mess, but at least it's free
Mobile games can make a ton of money, with titles like Clash of Clans making billions of dollars for their respective developers. Square Enix has been active in mobile gaming with titles based on its own popular role-playing games, with original free-to-play titles like Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius and premium ports of older titles like Final Fantasy IX. Now, the veteran publisher has just released another free-to-play game to Android and iOS, titled Final Fantasy XV: A New Empire. Square Enix may hope to bring new fans to the series it's based on while also encouraging fans of the console game to give it a go. It's just too bad the game is (so far) kind of an inscrutable mess.
Recommended Reading: How Foursquare managed to survive
The Not-So-Surprising Survival of Foursquare Aaron Gell, The New Yorker When Foursquare split its app in two with a second dedicated to check-ins, the move was questionable to say the least. The company eventually brought its popular mayorships back to Swarm and has largely held on to users as a directory for food and more inside the namesake app. The New Yorker takes a look at how the company has been able to survive largely due to its very active users and a trove of data.
'Final Fantasy XV' update boosts framerates on PS4 Pro
While the in-game carnival continues, Final Fantasy XV's latest patch upgrades the graphical options for PS4 Pro owners. While the game launched with a 4K (and HDR) capable version for Pro consoles, the team didn't have time to repurpose the power for the sake of frame rates. That option arrives in Patch 1.05, alongside a new level cap (up to 125), more camera space (up to 200 snaps), and an MP3 player for the protagonist prince when he's riding a giant yellow bird. It's important, okay?
'Final Fantasy XV' is actually a cookbook
Food is plays a central role in Final Fantasy XV -- and it's not just obvious Cup Noodle product placement, either. Meals add to your vitality and strength, increase magical resistances and even offer the chance of more experience points to grow your team. They're integral to your near-daily camp-outs, when you recover from battles and thumb through all the photos your bros took. Each dish has different benefits, and there are a lot of ways to learn new meals, from eating your way around the restaurants of the world of Eos to buying cookbooks and even just being "inspired" by poetry and random ingredients (often monster body parts) you pick up along the way. FFXV also attempts to offer some sort of regional differentiation in cuisine as you road-trip across states and towns. Some dishes are more elaborate twists on meals you've already eaten, but they're nonetheless different, with different local fish or delicacies. But is it actually possible to cook such varied cuisine, from rice balls to delicate sweet pastries, on (Coleman-sponsored!) cooking equipment? I took my high-school home-economics skills to my kitchen to see how I stacked up against Ignis, the game's designated cook. He's a glasses-wearing, English-accented, car-driving butler type. And now, my eternal rival.
'Final Fantasy XV' kicks off a limited-time carnival event
It's not just multiplayer games that can host limited-time events. Square Enix is launching the Moogle Chocobo Carnival, a time-sensitive Final Fantasy XV feature, today (January 23rd) at 8PM Eastern. So long as you have the Holiday Pack add-on (free or paid), you can visit Altissia to participate in carnival games and chocobo races, play new side quests and indulge in themed treats. The gig runs until February 20th, so you'll want to act quickly if you want to give it a look.
The Engadget Podcast Ep 25: Black Hole Sun
Senior editor Chris Velazco, reviews editor Cherlynn Low and Social Media Editor Mallory Johns join host Devindra Hardawar to chat about the biggest stories of the week, including HTC U Ultra phone, which may or may not save the company. Moving on, they dive into the Nintendo Switch's launch, and discuss President Obama's commutation of Chelsea Manning's prison sentence.
'Final Fantasy XV' tricked me into buying Cup Noodles
I should have been turned off by the commercial advertising casually strewn throughout Final Fantasy XV. Coleman logos are plainly visible when the game's heroes set up camp for the night. Billboards for Nissin Cup Noodles line the highways of Eos. It's product placement so obvious it's almost laughable -- and yet, I now have an eight-pack of instant ramen on my kitchen counter. What happened? A beautiful, devious combination of empathy and nostalgia.
'Final Fantasy XV' out-of-bounds glitch reveals an unused open world
The world of Final Fantasy XV feels enormous, stretching out for miles across freeways, plains, lakes and mountains -- but in the game's closing act, that open world becomes incredibly linear. Instead of taking a road trip across a fantastic land, players in the third act can merely look out upon one. A newly discovered out-of-bounds glitch changes that, revealing a surprisingly fleshed out landscape with a frozen tundra, beaches, towns and a vast savannah. There's not much to do in the area, but fans are now wondering if its a hint at what's coming for the game's DLC.
