Uncovered: Final Fantasy XV is an action-packed event that took place last night in Los Angeles. The highly anticipated event revealed new details about the next flagship Final Fantasy title, Final Fantasy XV, including its official launch date (rumored to be September 30). Originally announced as Final Fantasy Verses XIII during E3 2006, the game has been slowly reworked over ten years, and across two console generations.
The event was hosted by KindaFunny.com’s Greg Miller and Tim Gettys and was live-streamed on various online video sites, including Youtube and Twitch.tv. Not only did the event include exciting new details about Final Fantasy XV, but also included major announcements that spanned into anime, movies, demos, and mobile games!
The event was centered around 15 announcements based around the game. Check out all of the exciting details of the event below.
Hironobu Sakaguchi
The event began with the father of the Final Fantasy, Hironobu Sakaguchi, addressing the crowd about the famed RPG series. He gave a short, heartfelt speech about the lasting impact of the Final Fantasy series. He also joked that at times he questioned the direction his ‘child’ was taking. He told the audience how he met with director Hajime Tobata and discussed how they wished to take the series back to it’s “challenger roots”. He closed out his speech saying that he feels confident that Final Fantasy XV is returning to that path.
New Trailer
The event started off with a bang with an all-new trailer. The trailer, called Reclaim Your Throne, featured a mix of new cinematic and gameplay footage . We see fantastic creatures, mechanical armies, and great battle footage of Noctis. The trailer is narrorated by Noctis’ father, King Regis, who tells his son to restore the glory of their kingdom. The trailer also featured a deadly new enemy, a gigantic titan that has been the biggest enemy the game has showcased so far.
3D Key Art
A highly detailed key art piece commissioned by Square-Enix was shown, entitled Big Bang. The image was drawn by famed Final Fantasy concept artist and illustrator Yoshitaka Amano. The image was unveiled online before the event, but was brought to life by 3D animation. The video swirled in around key details of the piece to the delight of the crowd.
Stand By Me
A cover of classic song Stand By Me by Ben E. King was utilized in many of the trailers shown during the event. Hosts Greg and Tim asked the audience if they could decipher who the vocalist behind the cover was. The singer was none other than lead singer of Florence + The Machine, Florence Welch. A quick interview of Florence was shown, and she spoke about her excitement of being involved in the project.
Second New Trailer
A second new trailer was shown during the event, that exclusively featured gameplay footage.. The trailer focused mainly on the group driving in their car across the expansive world. The car’s radio played classic songs throughout the Final Fantasy series, included selected tracks from Final Fantasy Iand Final Fantasy XIII. Discoverable side missions were also teased, as the group drove by a broken down car on the side of the road.
Environment Trailer
An environment-focused trailer called “World of Wander” was shown. The video featured various settings of the game in long shots. Some shots included open fields, city streets lined with cars, industrial buildings, and some wide shots of major cities featured in the game.
A live-action CGI film entitled Kingsglaive -Final Fantasy XV- was announced. Various voice talents from the film were revealed onstage throughout the event, including Sean Bean and Lena Heady from Game of Thrones and Aaron Paul of Breaking Bad. The film was developed over the past three years in total secrecy and is currently in the process of being voiced. The film will take place during the events of the game, and follow Noctis’ father King Regis. The film will be available for download and online streaming before the release of the game.
Audi R
Square-Enix teamed up with car manufacturer Audi for a one-of-a-kind version modeled after Nyx’s wheels in Kingsglaive. The specially-crafted Audi R was shown in close up across various images. Only one model of the car has been created, and we can probably expect to see it travel to special Square-Enix events in the future.
Justice Monsters Five
A special minigame included within the full Final Fantasy XV game was revealed, entitled Justice Monsters Five. The game appears to be a hyperactive pinball-style game with monsters involved. The minigame will be released as a standalone mobile title for iOS, Android, and Windows. The mobile game will be available before the release of Final Fantasy XV and pre-registration for the game is available now on iOS and Android.
Platinum Demo
An all-new demo was revealed entitled the Platinum Demo. The demo follows the exploits of a young Noctis and an animal companion (and famous summon) Carbuncle. The live demonstration of the demo was shown to the audience during the event. Players can transform into various monsters, change weather effects, and take part in gameplay battles featured within FFXV’s game engine. A boss fight with an Iron Giant was teased. Players who complete the demo will be able to import Carbuncle into Final Fantasy XV (and name it whatever they please). The demo is available for download on Xbox One and Playstation 4 starting tonight.
Deluxe and Special Editions
Two special editions of Final Fantasy XV were announced: the Deluxe Edition and the Ultimate Collectors Edition. The Deluxe Edition features a steelbook gamecase, DVD/Blu-Ray of the Kingslaive film, and bonus in-game content. The Ultimate Collectors Edition includes a steel book case, DVD/Blu-Ray of the Kingsglaive film, a hardcover 192 page artbook, a figure of Noctis, bonus DLC content and item packs. This edition is limited to only 30,000 worldwide, and pre-orders have been opened on Square-Enix’s Online Store.
FFXV Release Date
Throughout the event, Greg and Tim alluded to a giant red button that would unleash some big news. Several onstage guests were tempted to press it. Near the end of the event FFXV Director Hajime Tobata came on stage to join the hosts. He gave Tim permission to press the button. He did so, but with no results. Tobata then pulled out an ‘invisible’ button from his pocket. With a single press, a roulette wheel on the screen started up behind him showing different dates. The spinning stopped at November 30th, 2016 before jumping backwards to September 30th, 2016. The date confirms early leaked reports.
Third New Trailer
The event concluded with a third and final major trailer after a farewell from Tobata. The trailer featured Japanese audio but we got a glimpse of a few new scenes. We also catch the group traveling around some more. The most eye-catching moment of the trailer came in it’s waning moments. The group’s car that we’ve seen featured plenty in footage transformed before our very eyes. It sprouts wings and takes off. It looks like the car will be this game’s version of the airship.
