Rumor: Square Enix Outsourcing Some Of Final Fantasy XV Development Overseas

GearNuke: "Final Fantasy XV has been in development for a long time. The game, originally announced as a PlayStation 3 exclusive title, made its reappearance at E3, 2013 as a Xbox One and PlayStation 4 title with a name change. Now a new listing on Linkedin profile suggests that some of Final Fantasy XV development might have been outsourced overseas."

[Abriael]

"While the development of a game being outsourced isn’t really a bad thing, it is worrying to know that despite several years in development, Square Enix is still stuck at a stage where they can’t even finish the game internally on time."

Every single game developer in the world outsources parts of development. It's just a matter of convenience, resource management and saving, and there's nothing "worrying" about it.

[DarkLordMalik]

The worrying part relates to the release date of the game. I mean how long will it even take them to finish and release it. No info has been given yet ever since E3. Compared to some of the upcoming RPGs like Dragon Age: Inquistion and Witcher 3, Final Fantasy XV updates are next to none.

I sure don't wanna see the game in 2015 or 2016. I have waited far too long for it.

[Abriael]

There's nothing "worrying" about the release date. They'll release it when it'll be ready.

Outsourcing can be done at the beginning of development or 10 days before gold. The fact that they're doing some outsourcing means nothing release date-wise besides the fact that yeah, they haven't gone gold. I'm quite sure no one expected that.

[Eonjay]

This game was originally announced over 8 years ago. We are way past the point of being worried about the release date. It will come. We will wait for it. Thats the deal. We aren't even hyping it up. We wont complain. Just make it good.

[abzdine]

all this developing time, all this money spent and now they outsource the development somewhere else???
Bravo SE, BRAVO!! Just make it to an FPS i gave up hoping for the good years ago already!

[AsimLeonheart]

I am so tired of waiting for this game. Just think about the time it has taken for a moment; I am baffled by it. I was a college student when the game was announced and now I am a married man with two children. I was expecting solid trickle of details since its rebranding but again the game is missing in action for months. Outsourcing is a very scary word for a Japanese games fan like me. Just look what outsourcing did to Devil May Cry, Silent Hill and Resident Evil. I just wish this turns out to be a true Final Fantasy game and gets released as soon as possible. I have already become a father waiting for this game; I dont want to become a grandpa...

[torchic]

to be fair, they only really started full development in 2011. a small team was working on Versus before that, thanks to Wada.

the notion of this game being in development since 2005 is false. apparently they barely even touched it before 2009

[Irishguy95]

Yeah...to explain the development

2005 - 2009 was **** all. Nomura and a few members of the KH team were working on it, pretty much just story stuff and design ideas and the very basics. They announced the game far too early

After FFXIII was release they started. The development was halted for the sake of FFXIII-2. In 2011 we Got the gameplay trailer then total silence. Turns out in 2011 they started moving to next gen which explains the silence, wada said "We're getting closer to actual CG it's amazing", and we thought it was BS, except now it makes sense since they had started next gen developement. They were originally having trouble getting it to run on Ps3. Supposedly they wanted the type of cinematic scenes we see in the newest trailer but the Ps3 couldn't handle it of course.

The reason Nomura and SE keep waiting 'for the right time' is for the sake of hype. Every time they DO reveal versus trailers, we get a **** load of information and an Epic trailer and the gaming community gets hyped up for it for a few weeks. FFXV literally stole the show at E3 this year. They managed to make it like the original trailer.

Imo we have enough info about the game already, i'd just like trailers and info on how the game is progressing now.

We know

- Open world
- Chocobo's/Cars/Airships
- KH combat system, characters are jack of all trades(+teleporting - Noctis), Mage type(Ignis), Tps type(Prompto) and melee type(Gladiolus). Don't even know what the others are yet.
- Music is Yoko Shimimura. KH composer -> Epic
- The story is very GoT esque. In that it's about character conflict and war more than the fantasy elements, but it does have the fantasy, and by the end of the game the fantasy will be a huge part.
- Some cinematic boss battles, in the same vein as Uncharted, SE wanted to do this since 2006

[iamtehpwn]

They're more than likely out sourcing for Art Assets, They outsourced parts of Final Fantasy XIII-2 to Tri-ace. They do this to prevent too many of their in-house workers from working on one project which wouldn't allow them to work on anything else.

[hay]

Outsourcing, with all due respect for all small companies, is harmful for final product. Nobody will care that much about a creation than a creator itself, which leads to drop in quality. Not always significant, but always a drop.

But it's just cheaper and faster to outsource. Need a module? Require recruitment? There are bunch of professionals just waiting to be outsourced. There are even outsource oriented companies. Namely: Not doing own products but get money from whatever is contracted to them.

Business is business.

[Ratty]

Indeed. It's not like the whole game is being outsorced.

[XiSasukeUchiha]

Outsourcing part game isn't bad but all of it you just smokin if u did that!

[Ashunderfire86]

The last time a develop outsource a game to too many developers, it didn't workout so well(Alien Colonial Marines). I hope I am wrong this time. I also worry for Kingdom Hearts 3 development as well.

[-Foxtrot]

Well thats worrying, don't do a Capcom and outsource your game....you know how that turns out

[DarkLordMalik]

Depends on which part they outsource. If they outsource parts of gameplay or design, i would definitely be worried, lol. But if it is something simple like related to the engine or art, i probably won't worry much.

RE 6 was heavily outsourced and we can see how much of a mess it turned out to be. For Western studios, it doesn't matter much but for Japanese, we don't always see good result(Capcom being the prime example here)

[Eonjay]

I think this is blown out of proportions. How does knowing this guys job title tell us anything about the stage of development of this title. He is the Technology and Outsourcing Manager. And not just for this title as it goes on to indicate.

[CrossingEden]

Yea, last time capcom outsourced one of their games it became a successful title that sold over a million copies and also received the second highest metacritic score for the series since it's inception, and even got rated higher than their HD collection. Fun fact:Western developers have completely dominated the gaming development scene this generation. Obviously that means that western developers are better at our job. Much to the dismay of american/western teenagers who obsess over japan.

[Drithe]

Outsourcing the flagship title eh? I will wait 4 years and buy a used copy for 4.99.

It better be good too, or I will ask for my money back!

End of line.

[abzdine]

the game can't be good after all these years they clearly had problems developing it and internal problems will always compromise the quality, ALWAYS!

[tigertron]

I was 16 when the first trailer came out at E3 06, I'm now 24...

[Ashunderfire86]

Wow time really flies!

[No FanS Land]

the game was announced the PS3 WASN'T OUT YET. FFXV might release one year AFTER the PS4's release.
SE skipped a whole gen with this game. It's kinda incredible.

[WeAreLegion]

Maybe they saw how everyone reacted to Kingdom Hearts III and are putting more resources toward that. If they're smart, they'll give Nomura and his team all the time they need.

[MegaRay]

I hope so, FF has 15+ games on home consoles

[Gardenia]

Final Fantasy went downhill last years anyway, so it doesn't matter really. Maybe something good is coming out of this

[Last_Boss]

My only problem, with the FF development cycles now is. SE is trying to out do the last FF, w/e new one and the games widen apart. In so much time missed, I personally think key elements are , Lost in Transtion. I miss FF, being on par with like DQ/To/LoH games. Once the sprite style changed full body proportions, it changed the parameters of the series.

[Agent_hitman]

The thing that's worrying is the fact that this game was announced back in 2006 and until now, it's not yet confirmed to be release this year

[Roccetarius]

They definitely announced this way too early, but the development has been pretty bad as well. We've had plenty of great RPG's before this, and the release is still up in the air. It seems like the usual mismanagement problem going on at Squeenix.

[Meltic]

just release it. Its done. FF X was the best out there and Everything was perfect in that game... soo

[GeckoPutt]

Final Fantasy X was also my favourite of the Final Fantasy series, and I've played them all - but I'm not sure that you can say that it was best one out there and everything was perfect - if that was the case, there'd be no reason for the HD Remaster.

Also, what has FFX got to do with FFXV?

[Meltic]

Everything was perfect then not now. Now is next gen and graphic detail important for some people but then when ps2 was availble ff X was huge and the story was so good.

[CLOUD1983]

If those retard Motomu Toriyama didn't continue to make more & more FFXIII games after the first one & SE focused all their power to finish FFXV it would be ready by now, but no this clone was not satisfied by making one garbage he wanted to drag the series deeper & deeper in the mud he wanted to create more abominations more trash games, I swear that I'm never gonna buy in the future any game made by this clueless useless guy.

[ErryK]

FFXIII wasn't forced on you, you didn't have to buy it. FFXIII games were made by Toriyama's team, not Nomura's. And finally, you can blame the original FFXIV team for the two sequels.

[GeckoPutt]

It is funny to think that I was 15 and still in high school when this game was announced... I'm a 23 year old high school teacher with two degrees and a (soon-to-be) wife now...

Time sure flies.