Final Fantasy XV Director Explains DLC and Updates

Published: January 25, 2017 6:45 PM /

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FFXV

Square Enix has made it clear that Final Fantasy XV will be receiving plenty of updates and DLC post launch with an official blog post back in December, a few of which players have already gotten to experience. While some are happy to have continued support for the ARPG, others are wary of what the changes will bring. FFXV director Hajime Tabata spoke with USGamer about the reasoning behind the interesting DLC and update model, explaining that it was the plan for the game all along and, even with an overhaul of chapter 13, they will not completely change the overall game.

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Paid DLC that has already been announced for the game includes utility and cosmetic content such as special costumes and photo frames, as well as additional episodes that delve deeper into the characters of Gladiolus, Prompto, and Ignis. Updates will be free and will include changes to the infamous chapter 13 as well as more story content. Tabata explains, “The updates and DLCs should be considered as two separate types of content. While updates enhance the main game and will be offered for free, DLCs provide new ways to enjoy the game and will be offered as paid content."

This model of ongoing updates and DLC is seldom seen in a single player role playing game but Hajime Tabata sees it as the future of the genre saying, “The reason it sparked debate was probably because we announced that we will continue to update a single-player game. This model has not been fully established yet. The fans who have grown accustomed to playing traditional Final Fantasy games may feel uneasy about this unfamiliar initiative. That said, I personally believe the approach to updating single-player games, as we are doing with this title, will continue on in the future as a new trend."
Tabata also stated that much of the additional content coming to the game was planned before the launch of Final Fantasy XV but it is also an opportunity to address feedback from players post release. This, of course, includes changes to many players least favorite section of the game, chapter 13. Many players complain that the chapter towards the end of the game felt unfinished, was buggy and not only played differently but was tonally off compared to the rest of the story.
The FFXV director feels differently about the controversial chapter stating, “The direction of chapter 13’s content was a deliberate decision made from the development team.That said, the amount of stress inflicted on the player while running through this chapter was greater than we had anticipated. We believe resolving this issue will naturally lead to a better gameplay experience." We’ll see if “stress” was the main issue when the ch. 13 update is released.
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Further comments from the director refute suspicions that the game wasn’t fully finished at launch claiming that Final Fantasy XV is “already complete.” Regardless, more story and gameplay content, as well as improvements and fixes are expected for the game both in the form of free updates and season pass DLC. Many of these additions were in the plan all along according to Tabata who told USGamer, “From the get-go, we wanted to continuously update the game after it releases ...”

While there are changes for Final Fantasy XV on the horizon, the director assures players that the team has no intention of drastically changing the overall game. He elaborates, “...updating the game while receiving player feedback will not make the game inconsistent to the development team’s vision.” Some of the bigger updates will be geared towards making the story easier to comprehend and further enhancing gameplay. More detailed information on further updates to the game will be coming and Tabata asks that fans “wait a little while longer” to hear more news.

Are your fears assuaged regarding upcoming FFXV updates? Let us know in the comments below?

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Alexandra Joy Taberski
| Past Author

Alexandria is a former Staff Writer at TechRaptor, who specializes in coverage of mobile games, RPGs, and JRPGs primarily, and has an unfortunate aversion… More about Alexandria

More Info About This Game
Learn more about Final Fantasy XV
Game Page Final Fantasy XV
Publisher
Square Enix
Platforms
PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Release Date
October 21, 2016 (Calendar)
Genre
JRPG
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