Final Fantasy 15 director feels 'pressure of PS4 development'

It’s a been a long time coming, but Final Fantasy 15 is almost here. Well, it's not too far away... Perhaps this explains why director Hajime Tabata has admitted there is plenty of pressure for the game to succeed. Previously working on PSP only titles Before Crisis and Crisis Core as well as Final Fantasy Type-0, Habata understandably has a lot on his shoulders with the new-gen only title.

“Well, the amount of money that the company invests in projects for the PS4 is completely different to those for the PSP, so I can certainly feel a difference in the anxiousness from higher management!,” Habata told Official PlayStation Magazine with a laugh.

“As a developer I did not actually feel that much of a pull from the PS3 to want to develop games for it, but I certainly feel that from the PS4. It feels like a very big evolution in game design, similar to the shift from 2D to 3D was. I really feel that this challenge to create something that could not be done on any platform other than PS4 can only happen with the latest cutting edge consoles of the current generation.”

Habata also teased some secrets for the players looking forward to the March 17th Final Fantasy 15: Episode Duscae demo exclusive to those who purchase Type-O HD; “Have they found all the special swords yet? Has a certain powerful foe come back for revenge at a different location yet? Has the man in that one couple got into trouble yet? Go out and look for these and many other surprises…”

The new issue of Official PlayStation Magazine is out on Friday, March 13th and has over 40 pages covering Final Fantasy with an Amano art book and a 20 page FFXV hands-on cover story where they’re not only calling it “the best Final Fantasy in generations” but also the “most ambitious RPG ever made”. No mean feat. You can buy this single issue from here on Friday, or treat yourself to a full subscription.

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Louise Blain is a journalist and broadcaster specialising in gaming, technology, and entertainment. She is the presenter of BBC Radio 3’s monthly Sound of Gaming show and has a weekly consumer tech slot on BBC Radio Scotland. She can also be found on BBC Radio 4, BBC Five Live, Netflix UK's YouTube Channel, and on The Evolution of Horror podcast. As well as her work on GamesRadar, Louise writes for NME, T3, and TechRadar. When she’s not working, you can probably find her watching horror movies or playing an Assassin’s Creed game and getting distracted by Photo Mode.