Final Fantasy XV to Remain in Early Access Through 2019
Please be excited for another year of not seeing a new main series Final Fantasy game
By Square Enix Project Management
Several fans have asked us about Final Fantasy XV 's official release date since its early access release in November 2016. Originally, we had decided that the release of Final Fantasy XV: Royal Edition on March 6, 2018 would mark the game's official release. However, due to continued fan dissatisfaction as a direct result of our mismanagement, we at Square Enix have decided to keep Final Fantasy XV as an early access title and make content changes up until 2019.
To be honest, we hope the official release date never comes. Releasing an unfinished game and having our audience design the rest by committee is an ideal scenario for a game studio, especially since it gives us the resource we needed most over the game's ten-year development cycle: time. It also removes the pressure to present a unique artistic vision, and fan feedback has shown us that fans still want classic Final Fantasy staples such as coherent character backstories and the ability to control other party members. This feedback was very motivating as we added these features several months after people had already played and moved on from the game.
Please be excited for the release of Final Fantasy XV: Royal Edition, which will be an incremental step forward in FFXV's continued stay in early access. It will retail at full price like the initial release but will still not be the complete version of the game. Hopefully there are enough fans left who have continued to play this game with a set amount of content for a year and a half after initial release (and are open to paying full price again).
We thank our fans for their continued loyalty, patience, and for essentially paying us to work as part of our development team. Please stay tuned for more information on the second season pass and additional downloadable content we have planned up until 2019, none of which is included for those who invested in the "Ultimate" Collector's Edition. Hopefully, if all goes according to plan (which it always does with Square Enix Project Management), we will never see Final Fantasy XVI in our lifetimes.