Final Fantasy XVI producer Naoki Yoshida recently shared details about the game’s development process and plans for additional content. In an interview with Noisy Pixel, Yoshida talked about the team’s approach to post-launch updates. This is vastly different from the strategy used for Final Fantasy XV.
Yoshida emphasized the goal of offering a full and independent experience with the initial release of Final Fantasy XVI. This decision was influenced by the criticism of Final Fantasy XV, which had important story elements connected to its different DLC episodes. To prevent similar issues, the team made sure that the main storyline of Final Fantasy XVI was entirely self-contained, without needing downloadable content to finish the story.
We’ve seen many games hide their stories and endings in DLC. An example of doing this well is Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, where the main story is finished by the end. However, the character’s story could continue in the Shivering Isles expansion, and players could see what happened after. An example of doing this poorly is Dragon Age: Inquisition, where the true ending was hidden behind the Trespasser DLC. That’s always a crummy thing to do to players.
“We had Final Fantasy XV, which was released before XVI, and they announced four DLCs but had to cancel two. There were parts of the story that you couldn’t get unless you played the DLC. That is something that, from the beginning, we didn’t want to happen for Final Fantasy XVI.”
Naoki Yoshida
Interestingly, Yoshida shared that about eight years ago, a DLC centered on the Eikon Leviathan was considered in the early stages of brainstorming for Final Fantasy XVI. However, due to production limitations, Leviathan was ultimately described as a “lost Eikon” in the game’s story. Nevertheless, the concept of expanding Leviathan’s storyline was considered a possible option for future DLC if the situation permitted.
Final Fantasy XVI’s positive reception from critics and fans has led the team to pursue the concept further. Yoshida stated that the strong response convinced the team that there was enough interest in the world and lore of Final Fantasy XVI to justify further development. This has resulted in the approval of a DLC expansion pass consisting of two additions: Echoes of the Fallen, which offers a combat-focused challenge dungeon experience, and The Rising Tide, a storyline focused on Leviathan.
“We wanted to have a full, complete experience with the main game. As we got closer to the main game’s release, we received responses from the media and players from the launch events and demo, which was very good. Seeing that, I thought, ‘Okay, maybe this response is going to be good. This may be a chance for us to explore the idea of doing DLC.’ Taking that and talking to the team, we already had this idea for Leviathan that we could bring in and incorporate into the DLC.”
Naoki Yoshida
The release of expansions for Final Fantasy XVI shows that Square Enix is changing how they deliver post-launch content. This is extra content that was not considered before, not suppressed content. It seems they want players to have a complete main game experience, with any extra content being optional and driven by positive feedback. This means they may be moving away from putting important story parts behind paid DLC.
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