Final Fantasy XV’s development has been unquestionably troubled, and it’s debatable whether or not any progress was made during many of the years that the game was in the dark - despite what Tetsuya Nomura and the most forgiving Final Fantasy fans have claimed over the years.
But finally at Gamescom 2015, Game Director Hajime Tabata (likely reluctantly) confirmed in an interview with Gamespot that the release date of Final Fantasy XV is “not going to be 2017. It’s going to be before that”.
After skipping E3 2015 to focus on Gamescom, Tabata and Co. promised a strong presence in Cologne, teasing a reveal of “never-before-seen gameplay”. In the technical sense, they delivered, but it was nowhere near the big blowout people were anticipating.
Sqaure Enix started off Gamescom by showing a story trailer that was meant to “establish the relationship between Noctis and his father”, according to Tabata. Eventually, they did show a very brief trailer with a few new environments and an encounter with a classic Final Fantasy monster, the Malboro.
Unfortunately, many fans and media members were left (unsurprisingly) underwhelmed, and Tabata acknowledged this in speaking to Gamespot:
‘Worried’ may not be the right word in this circumstance. At this point, people have gotten their hands on a build of the game, so whether or not the game exists is no longer a question. Weary is more like it. Weary of the delays, the excuses, and watching a once great and proud franchise fall as far as it has.
What do you think? Are we rightfully exasperated with this game? Let us know in the comments!
