Hajime Tabata talks first-person warp-strikes, exploring Insomnia, the continued evolution of Final Fantasy XV, and more.
Starting today, Final Fantasy XV Royal Edition expands further on the acclaimed RPG and its story with new features, new gear and a new dungeon – Insomnia City Ruins. I was lucky enough to reach out to Director Tabata and ask away the many bubbling thoughts in my head. In case you aren’t aware of what’s included, check out the trailer:
If you didn’t have any time to play or the opportunity to pick up Final Fantasy XV since 2016, there’s never been a better time to jump in as the Royal Edition comes packed with the main game and over 20 DLC pieces of content.
If you’re like me and have been playing Final Fantasy XV since the main game and following with every season pass episode release, you can quickly upgrade to the Royal Edition at PlayStation Store.
It was a pleasure to interview the director himself on what’s new in the Royal Edition. Check out our interview below.
1. Why did you make the Royal Edition?
We created this as an important way to highlight all the development team’s initial post-launch activities up to now that have been recorded. So I would like newcomers to the game to enjoy this advanced version of FFXV. And for fans who’ve already played the game, we’ll be upgrading the game to have the same content as the Royal Edition. It’s a culmination of everything we’ve done up to now, so please experience it for yourselves.
2. Where did the name Royal Edition come from?
First, we wanted to avoid naming it the Complete Edition, because we still have plans of continuing services in the future. We came up with the word ROYAL in association with the Lucis royal line, and also felt it best suited this most complete edition of FFXV available at this time. We previously had a patch named the “Crown Update,” which was also named in association with the Lucian royal family.
3. What can fans look forward to in Insomnia City Ruins?
I received plenty of requests from fans who’ve played the game and watched the movie “Kingsglaive Final Fantasy XV,” saying they’d like to be able to walk around Insomnia. So I’m sure there will be some very rewarding discoveries if they explore the extra map.
4. Where did the idea of warp striking in first-person mode come from?
First, we came up with the idea of making FFXV playable in first-person mode. Naturally, it was then decided without much doubt that warp strikes would also be done in first-person mode. Likewise, nobody raised any doubts about riding the Chocobo in first-person either. So as a result, making these adjustments was super-difficult, but nobody ever said “let’s quit!” (laughs)
5. With first-person mode and an all-new dungeon, there’s quite a lot of stuff in here! Is there anything else you wish could have made its way into the Royal Edition?
I would say underwater exploration. However, since there’d be difficulties spec-wise, and with limited locations where players could play this, we prioritized the other elements.
6. With the Royal Edition, you can also now control the Royal Vessel. I’m looking forward to fishing aboard the vessel with this new feature. Any new fish recipes you’re particularly fond of?
I asked the food team and they said they have sushi made from various parts of the tuna —and they’re all recommended.
Ignis’ new recipes are always a treasure! I can only imagine how delicious these new sushi recipes will look. There are so many new things added to the Royal Edition. Check it out today and find yourself immersed in the world of Eos now fully loaded with these new features. Which of these are you most amped for?
They gave us an incomplete game for full price and now they want us to keep paying to get the full game, i am done with this game
They got the game released in 3 years under Tabata directing the game. Rather than giving up on the game like BioWare employees did with Mass Effect Andromeda, they’re constantly working on free updates that change up the game.
Your public outcry just makes you sound like a sniveling child. If you’re truly done with the game, go on with your life. Your post adds absolutely nothing to the discussion.
Valyrious said something about FREE UPDATES, okay, tell us more about ROYAL PACK, most important game update to date, being paid?
That incomplete game had over 100 hours worth of content and it was only $60 if you bought it retail. 60 hours out of a $60 game is well worth it for most sane people.
I don’t understand this complaint…I love that there is more to come, how people b*tch and complain I just don’t understand. There have been 600 Skyrim editions for $60 a pop, each game $60…Final Fantasy puts out a DLC for $15 and the world is ending. Good leave the game, tired of the whining.
I can’t believe all the people on here calling us crybabies for wanting a complete game… It’s not that much to ask. Yeah, it’s great when developers continue to support a game with quality paid content and free updates after launch, just look at the Witcher 3 or Dying Light; but those games were huge fully fleshed out games with tons of story and content BEFORE any updates or DLCs were announced. It is NOT great when a game is released unfinished and uses continuous updates to try and fix a story post launch or add critical story elements behind paywalls. I’m not telling you to boycott Square, but at least acknowledge there’s a problem. Why are you defending something that is worse for you than the alternative??
it seemed pretty complete to me. all that came out was small additions to the ending which can be replayed through the chapter select. and i liked all the DLC episodes that have some out so far.
if you don’t like it kid go back to playing the latest call of duty:_______
So what I’m seeing here is that after waiting 10 years and spending $95 on a game I’m not allowed to be upset with a broken story with very little structure? I will admit the combat and gameplay was very fluid and fun but I play Square Enix games for the story and I was very disappointed with how much was left out and not explained that had to be added in months later after I had already played through the game. That would be like reading a book with important chapters missing only for the author to say, “Oh I’m sorry I was rushed, so I published the book with a few chapters missing. You’ll need to read these few online and a few others you’ll need to pay for in short stories I’ll be publishing in parts later on in the year.”
It really is BS that they release an incomplete game and are trying to charge us for a story that should have been done the first time. But with the amount of people who call us crybabies it seems it’s plenty of dumb ass*s out there who want to be their money on this… Must be nice to still be that old and living with mom and have the money to waste..