A bittersweet celebration — Final Fantasy XV gets some new content, DLC cancellations for its second year

Yesterday, Square Enix held a livestream for its bonecrunchingly popular RPG Final Fantasy XV, which will celebrate its second year anniversary this month. The livestream detailed plans for its upcoming DLC, additions to its standalone multiplayer mode, a collaboration with MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV, and a rather abrupt end to the game’s post-launch content with the news that Square Enix director Hajime Tabata is leaving the company.

Slated for release in March 2019, EPISODE ARDYN offers players the opportunity to step into the role of FINAL FANTASY XV’s main antagonist. Set before the events of FINAL FANTASY XV, players will learn more about Ardyn’s backstory in a story of death and restoration. The release will be accompanied by a special anime episode titled, FINAL FANTASY XV EPISODE ARDYN – PROLOGUE.

Next month, a special FINAL FANTASY XIV Online collaboration event will take place beginning on December 12 at 5pm Pacific Standard Time. Available to all FINAL FANTASY XV players as a free update, the event introduces a new in-game quest titled “Adventurer from Another World.” In this quest, Noctis embarks on a journey with the mysterious Miqo’te, Y’jhimei to Perpetouss Keep, which concludes with a fierce battle against the primal Garuda from FINAL FANTASY XIV Online. Players who complete the quest will receive special FINAL FANTASY XIV-themed costumes as a reward.

A standalone edition of FINAL FANTASY XV MULTIPLAYER: COMRADES for the Xbox One family of devices including Xbox One X and the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system will release on December 12 at 5pm Pacific Standard Time. Players can participate in various hunt, guard and convoy quests in co-op gameplay with up to four other players. The new update will bring 10 additional powerful bosses for players to face off against.

Current owners of FINAL FANTASY XV MULTIPLAYER EXPANSION: COMRADES who wish to continue playing on Xbox One and the PlayStation®4 system can download the standalone edition for free when it launches on December 12 at 5pm Pacific Standard Time. PC players will be able to download ongoing updates for the COMRADES expansion.

Finally, the previously announced DLC episodes featuring the characters Aranea, Lunafreya and Noctis, will no longer be produced. The FINAL FANTASY XV journey will conclude next year with the release of EPISODE ARDYN. The FINAL FANTASY XV development team wish to thank all players who have taken this journey with them and will celebrate the experience with fans to the end.

While the news that Tabata’s departure means three out of the four planned DLCs for the game are cancelled makes us feeling blue, we’re excited to see the rest of the content Final Fantasy XV will bring to the table. Check out the livestream above, and stay tuned for more news here on Gaming Trend.

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