I’ve been curious about the troubled development of Final Fantasy XV. It seems like it took around 8 years for this game to really get off the ground, and it’s puzzling to see how much changed over that time. I’m looking for insights into why this game, despite having a massive world, feels like there’s a lot missing in the final product. What were the main issues during its production?
5 Answers
Tabata once mentioned that when he took over, there were a lot of teams working independently, which made things chaotic. His role really involved getting everyone aligned, which he did well given the circumstances. The final game ended up feeling like a patchwork of ideas, but I still enjoyed it for what it was.
The development of Final Fantasy XV faced numerous delays, starting back when it was still Versus XIII. The project was in disarray for a long time and had a rough transition when it was handed to a different team. They restarted production using a new engine while trying to separate it from the original Fabula Nova Crystalis storyline. It really suffered from poor management and several technical challenges.
Totally agree! Tabata had made some solid titles on PSP, so it’s surprising that he was thrown into such a large project under so much pressure.
One significant issue was the push for an in-house engine, which led to complications and delays. The whole FF13 franchise idea also fell apart, causing a lot of confusion and extra work within Square. Nomura’s management style didn’t help, leading to several key problems throughout development.
Midway through, the direction pivoted, which significantly stretched out development time and budget. It feels like they wanted to make something totally different, adding to the task at hand. I often wonder how it would have turned out had it been released on the PS3 as originally planned.
Right? It’s wild to think about what could have been if they stuck to their original vision.
Ultimately, they seem to have bitten off more than they could chew. Ambitious plans were great, but the time constraints made it a messy project. It’s clear that ambition was there, just not the time or resources to see it realized completely, leading to a lot of missed opportunities.
That’s really unfortunate, especially when you realize how much content was ultimately cut from the game.