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Cancelled DLC Spells Problem For Square Enix?

Final Fantasy XV's Hajime Tabata is leaving the team and going solo. What does this mean for DLC and why should anyone care? Click here to find out.

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Great news everyone! With the success of the three DLC episodes for Final Fantasy XV, episodes Ignis, Prompto, and Gladiolus, Square Enix has announced that four more DLC episodes are in the works! This time based on Ardyn, Aranea, Lunafreya, and Noctis. Things are looking up for Final Fantasy XV.

Update…

Hmm…forget I said any of that.

On November 7th, it was announced that three of the four DLC expansions were cancelled and game director for Final Fantasy XV Hajime Tabata was leaving Square Enix’s internal team known as Luminous Studios. He will be leaving to form his own game development studio. For fans of the DLC for Final Fantasy XV, this comes as a crushing blow. After all, it seems like the DLC made for some of the best content in the entire game.

I don’t want to hate on Final Fantasy XV. As a huge Final Fantasy fan, it broke my heart to hear about the hectic and messy turmoil behind the scenes. Honestly, it’s probably what lead to, in my opinion, a very messy game.

 

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Tell Us How You Really Feel

This news isn’t quite breaking my heart. I didn’t like Final Fantasy XV, with its Sonic 06 NPCs, lack of a coherent story, monotonous side missions and lack of character development warrants me shaking my head in shame. And no, once your party members come back from their DLC episodes they just pick up right where they left off. It’s not character development if nothing in the DLC matters.

Don’t take this as a personal attack if you like it. I don’t begrudge you at all if you like or love Final Fantasy XV. But given the fact that Square Enix seems so chaotic behind the scenes, the fact that we are getting episode Ardyn at all is a wonder to me.

Why the DLC Format Doesn’t Work

I can understand that characters like Prompto being given the chance to be a badass in their DLC episodes makes them more fun and interesting characters. But it doesn’t change my opinion (this is an opinion piece, remember) that the episode format along with an anime, movie, and lunchbox to digest before you even boot up the base game, just doesn’t work for an epic RPG.

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It is for this reason I wish Hajime Tabata the best. I hope he achieves his dream. I hope his game is amazing. But Square Enix, and by extension Luminous Studios, should just move on from Final Fantasy XV. Maybe they should plan a simpler game with awesome combat, and actual character development that makes the characters more likable and relatable.

I know Lunafreya had the opportunity to become more interesting. But it seems I just personally don’t care anymore. I prefer it when I don’t have to study before playing a game just to know what’s going on.

But that’s just me. Perhaps next time Square Enix, if they truly want to monetize DLC, can create a story and a world that works without having to pay for the extra content. No number of new features or multiplayer modes can change the problems set deep in the game’s foundation.

But what do you think? Where do you want to see Final Fantasy go? Is this it for Final Fantasy XV? Let us know in the comments below!

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