The second wave of Final Fantasy XV has been hit by a series of cancellations, following the resignation of Hajime Tabata from Luminous Productions. The Final Fantasy XV Episode Ardyn DLC will still be released, but the Aranea, Lunafreya, and Noctis add-ons have been canceled. In addition, Final Fantasy XV Episode Ardyn Prologue, a short animation, has been announced.
Here is the official statement shared during the Final Fantasy XV Special Second Anniversary Program.
To Everyone Watching the Program,
Hello, this is Tabata.
It’s almost going to be 2 whole years since the release of FFXV.
I honestly believe the reason we were able to get this far is because of all you loyal fans.
I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Today, I have a personal announcement to make to all of you.
I, Hajime Tabata, will be resigning from Luminous Productions and the Square Enix Group as of October 31, 2018.
I was able to gain so much experience with my time at Square Enix.
Every title I was able to be a part of means a lot to me. However, FFXV stood out from that group as it was a special project for me which I went all-in.
Therefore, I decided to take this opportunity to officially announce my departure from FFXV to all the fans who have supported the title across the globe.
In regards to my next endeavors and near future, I have a project that I truly wish to solidify as my next challenge after FFXV. For that reason, I have decided to leave my current position and start my own business in order to achieve my goal.
As production of Episode Ardyn continues and Luminous Productions works on new projects, I felt that it was time for me to hand over the torch to the next generation group of talented and trustworthy colleagues and believe that they will create something amazing.
From this day on, I will cheer on and support Square Enix and Luminous Productions together with all you fans.
I would like to thank everyone who continue to support FFXV and those who have also supported myself personally.
Hajime Tabata
The Episode Ardyn DLC will still be coming to Final Fantasy XV and arrive in March 2019 on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Yuji Shinoda is its producer and Takefumi Terada is its director.
The Final Fantasy XV Episode Ardyn Prologue animation is in development. It will receive teasers on December 15, 2018 and January 10, 2019.
In case you missed it, here is the Final Fantasy XV Special Anniversary Program.
Final Fantasy XV is available for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. The Ardyn, Aranea, Lunafreya, and Noctis add-ons were announced back in April 2018.
