Final Fantasy XV DLC Scrapped
By: Bryce L. Jackson
In a shocking move, Square Enix announced that they are cancelling the release of all but one of the planned DLC for Final Fantasy XV. In another surprise move, game director Hajime Tabata has left the company.
Square Enix planned to release four more story DLC for FFXV with DLC episodes for Ardyn Aranea, Lunafreya and Noctis but now only Ardyn will be released and the developer will move on to other projects, particularly shifting focus to the upcoming release of Kingdom Hears 3.
In regards to Hajime Tabata, his departure from Square Enix global studio Luminous Productions was announced in the Square Enix livestream but he officially left the company at the end of October. He made a written statement:
“It’s almost going to be 2 whole years since the release of FFXV. I honestly believe the reason we were able to get this far is because of all you loyal fans. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Today, I have a personal announcement to make to all of you. I, Hajime Tabata, will be resigning from Luminous Productions and the Square Enix Group as of October 31, 2018.
I was able to gain so much experience with my time at Square Enix. Every title I was able to be a part of means a lot to me. However, FFXV stood out from that group as it was a special project for me which I went all-in.
Therefore, I decided to take this opportunity to officially announce my departure from FFXV to all the fans who have supported the title across the globe.
In regards to my next endeavors and near future, I have a project that I truly wish to solidify as my next challenge after FFXV. For that reason, I have decided to leave my current position and start my own business in order to achieve my goal.
As production of Episode Ardyn continues and Luminous Productions works on new projects, I felt that it was time for me to hand over the torch to the next generation group of talented and trustworthy colleagues and believe that they will create something amazing.
From this day on, I will cheer on and support Square Enix and Luminous Productions together with all you fans.
I would like to thank everyone who continue to support FFXV and those who have also supported myself personally.”
The Final Fantasy XV: Episode Ardyn DLC will be a prologue to the main story. It is set to release in March 2019.