Things have been pretty quiet on the Final Fantasy Versus XIII front for a while. Shinji Hashimoto, the Final Fantasy series executive producer, took the stage at last month’s PlayStation Meeting to announce that a new Final Fantasy game will be coming to PlayStation 4. There was no implication that Versus had made the generational jump, but it’s led some to speculate that the game has been reworked to the point where it could be considered a candidate for the “Final Fantasy XV” title.
Roen, a clothing designer, was tapped to design outfits for Noctis & Co. for Final Fantasy Versus XIII — the new outfits appear in the most recent 2011 trailer. Some internet sleuthing has uncovered that an archive of the company website from July of last year displays “FINAL FANTASY 15(tentative)” in the 2008 section of Roen’s biography page. You can view an archive of the page by clicking here.
How do you feel about a potential rename to “Final Fantasy XV”? Do you feel that Versus is a better fit for next-generation consoles? Leave us a comment below!
Well I feel that Versus should remain versus since it shares the mythology with XIII and type-0 (although it’s quite different still). It would be weird for a numbered title to have such strong bonds with its predecessors.
But in the long run it won’t matter what the name is if it never comes out.
I don’t count an ancient piece of tentative titling as evidence that the game has been changed so radically. They would certainly need to do a lot of unpicking and new work if Versus were to become XV, after all the effort put into it being a Fabula Nova Crystallis title. I think that Versus will be a splendid swansong for the PS3, while SE shows off FFXV (a totally different game) at E3, and the fans will be screaming their names in triumph once more.
@AnimaMagna
Yes, it’s not enough evidence to outright say that a name change or gen-jump has happened or is inevitable, but it is one more chip in the pile. A noteworthy “development” regardless.
Unfortunately, I’ve been unable to find any nodes pre-dating 2012 to jump to as far as web archives go — so I can’t say for certain if this was something that existed as a mistake for years or was intentionally changed at one point.
Although I do agree with Lexi that this game (Versus, XV, whatever) shares the same mythology as XIII and Type-0, it wouldn’t be such a big deal even if it was renamed, since the “Final Fantasy XIII” mythology immediately became the “Fabula Nova Crystallis” mythology, the minute Agito XIII was released as Type-0. So, name-wise, it’s no biggie. As for it’s console leap, I too believe that it has made the jump since it needs the Luminous Engine to up it’s capabilities, and that specific engine is better supported in the PS4. Plus, it has been missing for quite a long time, so it only makes sense that the game would be revealed along with the machine that it’s playable on. The only thing that troubles me is… If they’ve been working on it for such a long time, why wouldn’t they show even a little bit of it during Sony’s PS4 announcement? Anyway, even though everything is pointing towards this direction, I guess we’ll have to wait till E3 to make any solid conclusions.
Glad there removing the XIII, it becoming a actual XV! so glad they taking that step ahead. looking forward to it and maybe XV be my last, Life is moving so fast
i dont care what they do with this game as long as they either finish it, or cancel it as soon as possible.
Thje team working on this title is also the team who makes the main Kingdom Hearts games, and we wont get KHIII until this thing is over and done with.
VSXIII or XV, I really dont care what they do with it. Though if they make it XV it would make the main villain and hero of this game viable candidates for a possible future Dissidia …
… never mind, keep it VSXIII, & keep that emo cry baby out of my Dissidia series please.
@Tony
For the record, if you go to the page as it currently is right now, it still has FFXV instead of FF Versus XIII. There’s no need to link the archive as FFXV is still listed on the current page.
My take on this is that FF Versus XIII is indeed FFXV and it will release on PS3/360. The fact it uses Fabula Nova Crystallis like FFXIII did means that it will be possible to have another mainline FF use Ivalice Alliance like FFXII did. Good news.
Also, we’ll be getting three mainline FF games this gen! Yay!
If it has ANY connection to 13 it shouldn’t get to be a main entry (I’m also against the 11 & 14 being considered as such.)
Versus looks better than 13, but with so little info it’s hard to be sure. But I’m hoping it’s been reworked to shed connection to 13. But it would be cool though, if it had ties to 13, was still great and 15 was a separate game. That would be 2 big FF titles to look forward to.
Chopping the connection to XIII? For it.
Putting it off even more? SE’s pushing it big time…
I’ve actually been hoping that VS13 would be changed to XV for the longest time.
This is in light of the fact that they chose to sever Agito XIII and renamed it to Type-0, and that they basically restructured FMC and FFXIII to be Lightning’s saga.
Changing to XV is a good move as it dissociates from XIII (since it has nothing to do with it) and sends across a much stronger message to say that its a new title.
It does defeat the purpose of FMC, but i think that concept died quite long ago. Sharing mythos isn’t just a common thread in FMC but in the whole of the FF series and you’ll no doubt find much more in common from those aspects (summons, creatures) than just the concepts of l’Cie, Etro and so on.
forgot to add that it’s rather telling if ROEN themselves puts it as a tentative title instead of FFV13, because they’re a contractual party to the business of the game. If they’re suddenly uncertain about its title when they previously weren’t, then its much more likely that a name change has indeed occurred and that it may become FF15
@alexsam
I’ve seen the story and several cutscenes from Type-0. It may have been renamed, but it definitely uses the same mythos as XIII. There are l’Cie, powerful crystals that brand them as such (making them fal’Cie of sorts) and references to Pulse and Etro. If they were trying to take it out of the mythos, they made a poor job of it.
@hutch
I don’t see why XI and XIV should not be considered main entries.
@Arciel
Summons, I think, are in the game in some form. The only thing that’s worrying me about the game is…. the only main female character is the baddy? For crying out loud!
because they’re on-line games. Chronicles & Tactics aren’t considered main entries despite quality mistly because they’re not traditional style FFs. Being on-line I think should push 11 & 14 into the spin off realm. Not all FF players are familiar with 11 & 14 because they’re not stand alone titles.
I think it should be renamed 15 AND remain on the PS3. This is a lame reason, but it’s because there have been 3 main entries for every generation since the beginning:
1,2,3 NES
4,5,6 SNES
7,8,9 PSX
10,11,12 PS2
And now 13, 14, and 15 should be on PS3!!
:p
I agree with @David, that Versus should be renamed XV AND be on the PS3, primarily to keep the three main games per generation tradition going =P
To add a bit though, XV might actually become a cross generation game. There is almost no way that SE will release Versus/XV this year for the ps3 and on or after the release of the ps4 (like VI, IX, and XII before it – releasing on the release of the next gen). This is because there are already 3 huge FF titles coming out this year.
1) XI’s expansion
2) XIV’s reboot
3) Lightning Returns
And not to mention possible releases of Type-0 and X on Vita in the West.
They would have to release Versus/XV late this year or sometime next year in order to avoid over saturating their own market, and the most logical thing to do during that time frame would be to make the game cross-generational.
@AnimaMagna I think I’ve been misunderstood. Of course I know Type-0 and XIII share the same mythology. I was commenting about the NAME of that mythology. Back in ’06, when they first announced these games, they were meant to share the XIII in their titles and it was the “FF XIII FNC” mythos. But, since Agito changed to Type-0, I was just saying that it wouldn’t really matter at this point if Versus was renamed to XV either.
@Necromunkey Just by noticing the number of titles you have listed, I want to say that I’m looking forward to the future, but from what they’ve shown us we could be in for more let downs. The only solid information we have at this point is that XIV will be released in June (the way things are going) and LR will be released sometime between September and November. That’s it. To tell the truth, I’m kinda scared of what might happen at E3. They’ve been known for their inconsistencies and I’m sure they’d have no prob coming out, announcing a title and saying something like “Please look forward to more information”. And then there’s the issues of Type-0 and X HD. They really need to up their game if they want to maintain their position in the gaming industry!
@AnimaMagna, i hope there’s a female playable character later in the game. As it is, its almost like Crisis Core in terms of being a total sausagefest.
@David, i didn’t wanna say it, but i totally subscribe to what you said. 3 main lineage FFs per console generation is like tradition. It also conveniently captures a console at the start, middle and end of its development cycle.
The first game is typically the popular child of the 3, as it showcases a big technological leap – also very prone to having sequels. the second is the unsung hero – you either like it or hate it, but the ones who like it are usually fanatical about it. and the last one will for some reason or other, be not as popular as the first games, but generally be lauded as the best of the series.
@Necromunkey
if FFVS13/FF15 gets a 2013 release then this would be a bonanza year for Final Fantasy. If VS13 comes along, it’d likely be at the very end of the year.
XI comes out in March.
XIV is aiming for summer, at the latest it should be July
LR:XIII is autumn, at least in Japan
so in order to not compete, a release date in Winter would be best.. or early 2014.
To be sure tho, FF11 and FF14 don’t matter as much, as they’re targeted at the MMORPG market and existing 11/14 players.. so in the eyes of non-MMO gamer, its only LR:XIII.
I think sensibly, VS13/15 would release in 2014 before March, at least in Japan. That way it wouldn’t compete as much. PS4 launch date isn’t very relevant since the uptake for new consoles will take at least a year to set in.
@alexsam
I’m personally cautiously optimistic at the future of not only the Final Fantasy franchise, but SE games in general. They’re clearly putting in a ton of effort into XIV and they’ve been slowly warming up to the idea of listening to fans (for better or worse…) in XIV, XIII-2, and LR. It seems, to me at least, that they got the hint when XIV bombed, and have been steadily picking up their game since (even dropping their mobile market!).
As for E3, I’m hoping they only give info for games that they can reasonably release within the next year or two. Otherwise we’ll get another “Versus Dilemma” where the game comes close to being vaporware (and if it releases, then it may never reach the hype that the fan base has built). So yeah, I pretty much agree with you I guess =P
@Arciel
I think the release window of XV/Versus would almost have to be next year in order to not compete with itself. There are just TOO many FF titles coming out this year for it to be any earlier. Even if XI and XIV are MMO’s, they still bear the FF namesake (and main number at that!), so it may seem the series is starting to be milked (which, looking at all the spin-offs recently, it just might be).
I agree with a March date at the earliest, but anything earlier is just really unlikely. Like I previously mentioned, there are to many FF titles coming out this year for it to be earlier.
Likewise, the PS4 comes out this year. This is Extremely relevant! Almost every game that has come out (at least from Square/SE) at the beginning of the next generation has suffered in sales.
1) Super Mario RPG came out just months before the N64 in the U.S.
2) Final Fantasy IX came out one month after the PS2
3) Final Fantasy XII released one monthe prior to the PS3 in the U.S.
4) Final Fantasy Type-0 was never released in the U.S. possibly because of the release of the PSVita a couple months later.
Each title had lower sales than their predecessors possibly due to their release on or around the next gen system’s release. While I can’t claim a causal relationship, it seems more than a coincidence.
I doubt SE would release XV/Versus several months after the PS4 release only on PS3, as critics and gamers alike would probably complain “Why not on PS4?”. On the otherside, those who did not make the jump to PS4 immediately would feel almost betrayed (especially since it was promised that Versus would be PS3 only) and also complain. A catch-22. This is why I think SE will release Versus/XV on both PS3 and PS4 =P
I want Agni’s Philosophy…………………………………..
I’m going home.
What if Versus is newly FFXV and AP is FFXVI!?!?!?!?! That -might- work….
I still think it’s ridiculous tho.
Honestly, I’ve been waiting 5+ years for this game. At this point, I’m ready to move on from final fantasy and square enix in general. There are game developers out there who truly care about making games on schedule and have a great relation with fans. SE has lost that for me. If this game makes the gen-jump (couldn’t give a fly about the name, the mythology is horrible anyway), I’m out. I speak for only myself.
@MrSensei915 And which companies might they be? Truly, do tell! Ever since the creation of the comment section of the internet, all we see is a mob of angry “fans” that complain because either their game wasn’t delivered on time, or because it didn’t meet their standards! Back in the 90′s we played what we got and we were damn thankful for the opportunity! Nowadays it’s just more and more demands and more and more people claiming that “their done with the company” and yet, everytime that company releases a new game comes out, there they are, back for more! To find all the faults and to lead the hate rally! Seriously, the worst thing with the gaming industry is the gamers themselves…
(btw, I’m not talking about just Square-Enix and the FF franchise. This goes on elsewhere as well.)
@Necromunkey
ok i never really considered the situation you put out.. but i’d say arguably the PS4 isn’t as relevant as you said. It’s true that all those titles mentioned suffered in sales due to their release timings, but they were all still undoubtedly hits and sold very well in spite of this.
Given that the PS4 is not backward compatible, its really a dilemma for the developers to choose which platform to sell from.
They have pretty much 3 main options.
1) Sell on PS3. The advantage is you have a wider player base. Sure it’s technology in its sunset, but millions of people already have the console, and the game was designed to be released for this anyway.
2) Sell on PS4, the technology is stronger, but if you don’t change the game to make use of this capability (which takes time) its a moot point. Another problem is lack of people who already own the PS4, compared to the millions who own the PS3.
An issue that can be raised is people will feel cheated that they’re playing a PS3 game on a PS4, which was what most 1st gen PS3 games were like. And the game isn’t representative of PS4 technology, so such a release will be an anti-branding move that Sony would want to avoid.
3) Sell on both PS3 and PS4. Increased costs for manufacturing discs and stuff. This dilutes the market as people who already have PS3s and not PS4s will no doubt choose the PS3 option, especially if both versions are the same. The sales from PS4 is not likely to cover the costs of manufacturing/porting it.
Ultimately, if you factor in both cost and sales, sticking to PS3 seems like the best choice.
@AgitoXIII
i’ll bet on it. SE did say to watch out for Final Fantasy on PS4 as this years E3. We’ll get our answers then.
TBH ima be very dissapointed if they turn this in to XV. I don’t believe that will happen, but for the first time it seems somewhat plausible. This was supposed to be an action game. A gothic style alternate FF. I don’t see a mainline title here. They would have to fundametally turn around this game.
@Arciel
I mostly agree with you except on point 3. It probably would not dilute the market in the same way as releasing The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess on both Gamecube and Wii did not dilute Zelda’s market (and both Zelda and FF are arguably comparable in popularity).
It may, in fact, artificially boost the sales of the game, as a few people who eventually plan to get a PS4 will buy the PS3 version for now, then buy the PS4 version when they get that one. It probably wouldn’t effect the people buying the PS3 version very much (they are already buying it) and it might give people a good reason to jump onto PS4 or Nextbox.
However, you make a valid point on manufacturing costs and porting costs which could decrease SE’s profits on the game. At the same time though, if they release it on PS3 and PS4, they probably will release it on Xbox360 (despite promises otherwise), which has a similar architecture to the PS4 (as both have the same architecture as a PC). If this is the case, the cost would not be more than porting to the 360; of course it assumes the 360 port.
Also PS3 and PS4 cross release also opens up the possibility for a Vita port, and that would be great XD
@AgitoXIII
I think LR (as well as Type-0, and Crisis Core before it) is, if anything, an indication that the mainline FF series is going to move towards more action oriented games, at least for the time being. (Perhaps influenced slightly by Dark Souls success, for better or worse). If the mainline series becomes more action oriented, then they wouldn’t need to change very much.
Perhaps we should let the series evolve? It can’t stay ATB derived forever.