Tabata: Microsoft made Final Fantasy XV more mainstream

In the video interview below we caught up with Final Fantasy XV director Hajime Tabata at Square Enix's E3 booth. Besides design talk (on the game world, activities or Chocobo), we had a couple of hardware-related questions, given both Microsoft (Xbox One S, Scorpio) and Sony (PSVR) are making moves at the moment.

Here's how Tabata-san describes working with the Redmond-based company:

"First of all, to do with how we work with Microsoft, it's been a very big learning experience actually, we've learned a lot working with Microsoft. Because traditionally we very much do all Final Fantasy from terms about traditional fan base, for the existing fans, but when we were talking with them and discussing with them then they said 'well we really want to work together looking at a much wider audience, and appeal out to a much broader section of gamers'. So our whole approach really was informed by those discussions with Microsoft".

However, despite this close collaboration, the team is not considering new possibilities such as HDR lighting taking advantage of the new Xbox One S features, at least not yet:

"Obviously with the new version of the Xbox One - I'm not sure exactly of the capabilities of it myself, I haven't heard all the information about it, so I want to get that information first and have a good study of it before then looking at it and thinking ok what we can do next with that."

Here's full interview and FFXV will launch September 30 on Xbox One and PS4.