Square Enix held aspecial livestreamlast night regarding Final Fantasy XV tonight. While fans were excited about what could possibly be announced, the livestream, hosted byFinal Fantasy XVGlobal Brand Director Akio Ofuji, started on a bit of a dour note, as some shocking news was revealed regarding the status ofFinal Fantasy XVDLC and notable Square Enix developer Hajime Tabata.
As DualShockershad previously reported,Square Enix originally had plans to release four new DLC episodes in Spring 2019 revolving around Noctis, Aranea, Lunafreya, and Ardyn. Unfortunately, this is no longer the case asEpisodes Noctics, AraneaandLunafreyahave been canceled.
Ofuji-san claims that after a “directional change” (more on that later) at Square Enix, the company re-examined thoseFinal Fantasy XVprojects and determined that they should cancel production of the three aforementioned DLC episodes. The development team “regrets” that they won’t be able to release episodes that fans were looking forward to, but hopes they’ll understand and tryEpisode Ardyn, which is still being made and releasing next March.
As for that “directional change,” it was also revealed during the livestream that Hajime Tabata has left Square Enix. This is a very notable shift in direction for the company, as he was the Director ofFinal Fantasy XVand spearheaded its DLC. In addition to Square Enix, Tabata-san is also leaving Luminous Productions to start his own company. A letter was released by Tabata explaining the decision, and you may read it below:
“To everyone watching this program: Hello, this is Tabata.
It’s almost going to be two whole years since the release ofFFXV.I honestly believe the reason we were able to get this far is because of all you loyal fans. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Today, I have a personal announcement to make to all of you. I, Hajime Tabata, will be resigning from Luminous Productions and Square Enix Group as of June 18, 2025.
I was able to gain so much experience with my time at Square Enix. Every title I was able to a part of means a lot to me. However,FFXVstood out from the group as it was a special project for me which I went all in. Therefore, I decided to take this opportunity to officially announced my departure fromFFXVto all the fans who have supported the title across the globe.
In regards to my next endeavors and near future, I have a project that I truly wish to solidify as my next challenge afterFFXV.For that reason, I have decided to leave my current position and start y own business in order to achieve my goal.
As production ofEpisode Ardyncontinues and Luminous Productions works on new projects, I felt that it was time for me to hand over the torch to the next generation group of talented and trustworthy colleagues and believe that they will create something amazing.
From this day on, I will cheer on and support Square Enix and Luminous Productions together with all you fans. I would like to thank everyone who continues to supportFFXVand those who have supported myself personally.
Hajime Tabata”
Speaking of Luminous Productions, these radical changes are actually good for that development studio. It is working on a “new AAA title” for Square Enix, and Ofuji-san claims that the cancellation ofFinal Fantasy XVDLC means that more resources can be focused on completing and releasing this mysterious title in a timely manner.
This mysterious Luminous Productions project just adds to the number of large AAA projects at Square Enix. They are also working onan unannounced shooterwith Polish developer People Can Fly andBabylon’s Fallwith PlatinumGames. Still Hajime Tabata’s departure from Square Enix is a huge one, and will likely have noticeable ramifications on the company.
You can check out the full livestream below. If you still haven’t picked upFinal Fantasy XV, which is available for PC, PS4, and Xbox One,you can still do so on Amazon.
