14 Years Ago, Final Fantasy Versus 13 Began Falling Apart and Led to Final Fantasy 15

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While not necessarily the best in the Final Fantasy series, Final Fantasy XV has gained a dedicated following thanks to its exciting battles and charming characters. Despite some weaknesses – like simple combat, a somewhat confusing story, and an unremarkable open world, even for its time in 2016 – it’s become a beloved game for many.

The Final Fantasy 15 we know today – with all its strengths and weaknesses – almost didn’t happen. It started as a very different game called Final Fantasy Versus 13, intended as a PlayStation 3 exclusive action RPG directed by Tetsuya Nomura, the creator of Kingdom Hearts. However, advances in technology, combined with changes within the development team and typical challenges during game creation, led to a major overhaul. In fact, the story of how Final Fantasy 15 was made is more captivating than the game itself, offering a revealing look into the complicated process of developing a large-scale game, particularly one in a long-running series like Final Fantasy.

Final Fantasy Versus 13 and Fabula Nova Crystallis

Fabula Nova Crystallis

Originally, Final Fantasy Versus 13 was designed to fit within the larger story universe of Fabula Nova Crystallis. This universe acted as a common thread linking games like Final Fantasy 13, Final Fantasy 13-2, and Final Fantasy Agito. According to Motomu Toriyama, the director of Final Fantasy 13, these Fabula Nova Crystallis games can be thought of as an expansive fairy tale – they all draw from the same core myths and gods, but their individual stories aren’t directly connected.

Fabula Nova Crystallis is a Latin phrase that translates to “new tale of the crystal.”

Initially, the story featured Noctis as the prince of Lucis, a kingdom at odds with Niflheim. The magical crystal held by Lucis was intended to have strong connections to the crystal mythology from Final Fantasy 13. The large-scale political conflicts and battles were always central to the story of Final Fantasy 15, but when it was known as Final Fantasy Versus 13, the plot was quite different. Many characters and settings were later changed for the final version of the game. For example, the character Luna was originally planned to be someone named Stella, who was shown in the first trailers for Versus 13.

Final Fantasy Versus 13 Was in Development Until 2011

Man, it’s crazy to think they first teased Final Fantasy Versus 13 way back in 2006 with that awesome trailer! But honestly, nobody really knows when they actually started seriously working on it. Most people think full development kicked off after Final Fantasy 13 came out in 2009, since the two games are connected. Either way, 2009 was when we first saw some actual gameplay, but the director, Tetsuya Nomura, said it was more like a tech demo – just a little piece made to show off what they were aiming for, and not something that would end up in the final game.

Early gameplay footage from 2011 shows Versus 13 playing like action RPGs such as Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy 7: Crisis Core. Battles took place in pre-planned scenarios, and players used a command menu to fight. A unique feature was the ability to switch between characters mid-battle, each with their own fighting style. For example, players could have directly controlled Prompto, using his handgun to target enemy weaknesses and even activate traps in the environment.

I remember when Tetsuya Nomura had this amazing vision for Versus 13 – he wanted it to be a totally open world, even though it was meant to connect with Final Fantasy 13. To make that happen, they built this brand new engine called Luminous Studio, which they showed off at E3 in 2012. But, as things turned out, around that same time, something big happened that completely changed how Versus 13 was being made.

Luminous Studio represented a significant advancement in technology for Square Enix and the Final Fantasy series, enabling the creation of far more detailed environments and, in particular, character designs.

The PlayStation 4 Played a Major Role in the Creation of Final Fantasy 15

In 2011, Sony showed Square Enix the first version of the PlayStation 4. This made them rethink Final Fantasy Versus 13, which was originally planned as a PlayStation 3 exclusive. The game had been in development since 2006, but progress was slow, and even the game’s director, Nomura, wasn’t sure when it would be finished. Seeing Sony’s new hardware, combined with the slow development and the complex Luminous Engine, led to a big change: Square Enix decided to move away from the Final Fantasy 13 storyline and completely reinvent Final Fantasy Versus 13 as Final Fantasy 15, a full-fledged, main installment in the Final Fantasy series.

While developing the game, Hajime Tabata joined Tetsuya Nomura as a co-director, and eventually took over full direction of the project. Tabata worked with Nomura to preserve key characters, then began a major overhaul of the story. Much of the original story for Versus 13 was changed, and its ties to the other Fabula Nova Crystallis games were lessened. This ultimately shaped the game into a standalone, full-fledged Final Fantasy title.

It’s up for debate whether all the challenges were worth it, but the story of Final Fantasy XV’s development is certainly interesting. Director Tabata shared a key insight about revealing games too early, explaining that announcing Versus 13 in 2006 created unrealistic expectations and complicated the development process. Looking back to 2006 and tracing the long journey to FF15 shows that things like clear communication and strong leadership can be more important than money – and financial resources weren’t actually the biggest issue for Versus 13 anyway.

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2025-11-23 23:05