Previously known as Final Fantasy Versus XIII, the title’s development expanded and evolved to take full advantage of the capabilities of next-generation platforms. While the main concept, world and story continue to be developed as originally envisioned, the First Production Development Team has further improved Final Fantasy XV’ s action, gameplay elements and graphic quality to match the technology of the next-generation hardware, as well as the expectations of players eagerly awaiting the game’s release.

Final Fantasy XV promises to bring a darker, real world tinge to the long-running series. Explore cities, take on intricate quests, and progress through a compelling storyline to save your home and the world itself.

Deception and treachery has shattered the promising truce that would've ended the long shadow war between the mystical kingdom of Lucis the militant empire of Niflheim. The world's last crystal is gone, taken by Niflheim agents as they launch simultaneous attacks on their neighbor nations. Noctis, Prince of Lucis, sets out to stop the empire and reclaim his home's crystal, the source of their magical power and protection. Will he and his friends be successful in their quest? What will this dark, new world reveal before the final act?

In a matter of days, the Kingdom of Lucis is to sign an armistice, ending a long and bitter conflict with Niflheim. Ahead of the ceremony, Prince Noctis, heir to the Lucian throne, sets forth from his homeland to formalize the union of states through his marriage to the Lady Lunafreya of the imperial province of Tenebrae.

The offer of peace, however, is no more than a ruse to lower the Lucian shield, and the imperial army takes the crown city and its sacred crystal in one fell swoop. En route to his destination, Noctis is shocked to learn that he, his father the king, and his betrothed are believed dead.

Overnight, the dream of peace has faded into a distant memory. His world crumbling around him, Noctis has naught but his resolve and his loyal companions to see him through the trials to come.

A free “Crown Update” will also be available for players to download automatically at launch. The update is the result of some additional time for development since mastering the full game, and provides a variety of updates, minor bug fixes and new features to greatly enhance the overall story and gameplay experience.

The upgrade provides enhancements for several elements within the game including:

• Improvements to the camera with new options to better assist and track the action in tight space and to improve visibility during battles
• New event scenes and scenes from KINGSGLAIVE: FINAL FANTASY XV and the “Omen” trailer have also been added to the game to make the story and timeline of events easier to follow for newcomers
• The addition of an ability tree for the “Wait Mode” function which improves the strategic element of this feature
• Players can obtain the “Beast Whistle” which can be used to call monsters to battle
• A wider variety of recipes and fish with an addition of a gallery for completionist players who enjoy collecting items
• Implementation of social media support, allowing the photos Prompto takes along your journey to be uploaded to Facebook and Twitter

Following news of copies of the game going on sale ahead of the release date, Game Director Hajime Tabata issued the following message to the fans:

“The November 29th release date is approaching and I sincerely hope everyone enjoys this game with a fresh state of mind. Unfortunately, there has been an unauthorized distribution of the boxed edition of Final Fantasy XV in select regions and we have noticed that gameplay footage from people playing these copies has appeared online. Though this type of situation is brought on by various region specific circumstances and may not be something that is completely avoidable, we are very regretful of this situation.

One of the major goals of Final Fantasy XV is for everyone to enjoy the story and to discover the surprises together through the simultaneous worldwide release. Due to these recent events, videos with unexpected spoilers could potentially be posted online, so we would like to warn everyone who has been waiting in anticipation for this game.

We will also do everything in our capacity to prevent unauthorized footage from appearing online. We would also like to ask anybody that has obtained an early copy of the game to be respectful to those that are looking forward to the official release and to not spoil the surprises for everyone.

A large and dedicated team have worked extremely hard to make this game and to create a Final Fantasy that everyone can enjoy. It would be a huge regret for us if the excitement of the launch was to be spoiled for so many when we are so close to release.

Your understanding and cooperation would be much appreciated so we can celebrate the best possible release together.”