With Final Fantasy XV, Square Enix made some major changes to the franchise's JRPG formula. As it turns out, there could have been some even bigger changes, as Eidos Montreal was working on the game at one point.
Back in 2018, YouTuber ‘SuperBunnyHop' (via GamesRadar) claimed to have heard through sources that Eidos Montreal had been working on Final Fantasy XV. Now years later, the studio's former art director has confirmed this was the case.
Speaking with TrueAchievements, former Eidos Montreal art director, Jacque-Belletête, confirmed that the studio “tried to do Final Fantasy XV”, and claims their version of the game was “really, really cool”. At some point during development, Square Enix chose to bring Final Fantasy XV's development back to Japan and Eidos Montreal pivoted to other projects.
Not much is known about Eidos's version of Final Fantasy XV, but it was previously claimed to be a “space opera RPG”, a very different direction from the final game.
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KitGuru Says: It isn't surprising that Final Fantasy XV was ultimately developed inside of Japan, but still, this does have us wondering what could have been. Do you think a western Final Fantasy RPG could be a success?