Final Fantasy 15 director is working on two new “large-scale” games

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Final Fantasy 15 director Hajime Tabata is working on two new “large scale” games, both of which have been described as evolutions of Final Fantasy games.

In a new interview with Japanese publication Famitsu (via Ryokutya2089 (opens in new tab)), Tabata confirmed that his studio JP Games is co-developing the two new projects alongside a major unnamed company. Tabata says the first project, which just left pre-production, is an evolution of 2011’s Final Fantasy Type-0, which he also directed.

Tabata’s vague phrasing, combined with the imprecision of Google Translate, doesn’t paint the clearest picture of either game, but the first game in line is a “high speed” and “experimental” RPG. Apparently, one playthrough won’t take long, but there’s a lot of replayability, thanks in part to a multiplayer component.

The other project sounds like an even more ambitious project. According to Tabata, it’s a “worldwide AAA” game that encourages “free wandering” and has something to do with nomadic society. The game is described as an “evolved version” of Final Fantasy 15, but it’s unclear what that means for the mystery project at this stage in development (more new recipes?! (opens in new tab)). The Final Fantasy 15-like project just entered production, so it’ll likely be some time before we hear/see anything more.

JP Games is fresh off the launch of its first game, The Pegasus Dream Tour, which also happens to be the first licensed Paralympics RPG ever. In the same Famitsu interview, Tabata says the version of the game we’re able to play today differs dramatically from its original state pre-Covid. JP Games suspended the project in the Spring of last year when the 2020 Olympics were postponed, but it was relaunched in the fall with a new vision.

In a recent interview with Tokyo-based SoraNews24 (opens in new tab) (via Gamespot (opens in new tab)), Tabata gave some insights into his decision to leave Square Enix, explaining that he felt a moral need to take a break from big AAA games to work on something “for the social good.”

“When I started I got several offers to make AAA games, and they were very good, but that would be doing more or less the same thing,” Tabata said. “First, I wanted to try something new and really explore making a game for the social good, before investing time into making more conventional high-end games.”

For everything nearer on the horizon, check out our guide to new games of 2021.