Square Enix has finally released Final Fantasy XV Royal Edition today on March 6th, 2018. The base game was originally released in November 2016 for the PS4 and Xbox One. In an interview posted on PlayStation Blog, Square Enix Associate Product Marketing Manager Lowey Ding speaks with Final Fantasy XV director Hajime Tabata himself about the Royal Edition. Tabata-san says that the Royal Edition was created in order to “highlight all the development team’s initial post-launch activities up to now that have been recorded.”
Instead of simply naming it the Complete Edition or Game of The Year Edition like most games, the developers named it the Royal Edition because they still have “plans of continuing services in the future.” The word Royal was coined in association with the Lucis royal line from the game.
One of the biggest additions in Final Fantasy XV Royal Edition is the new Insomnia City Ruins map, which will be instantly recognizable for players who have watched the Kingsglaive movie. Tabata-san even teases that there will be some “rewarding discoveries” waiting for players who explore the new map.
Another highly-anticipated new feature is the addition of a first-person mode. Tabata-san mentions that making first-person mode work properly during warp strikes and Chocobo riding was “super difficult.” Interestingly, there is a feature that Tabata-san wishes he could have added in the Royal Edition; underwater exploration. However, he says that it was difficult to pull off spec-wise and there were also limited locations in-game which players could actually explore underwater.
Other features that arrive with Final Fantasy XV Royal Edition include the ability to control the Royal Vessel, which allow players to explore the body of water between Cape Caem and Altissia. The new Armiger Unleashed feature unlocks a more action-oriented mode of the Armiger after players collect all 13 royal arms.
That’s not all as new gear and bosses have been added to the game in the Royal Edition. All Season Pass content released so far has also been included, such as the three DLC episodes and Multiplayer Expansion: Comrades. Last but not least, the Royal Edition comes with various DLC items and the base game itself.
Players who already own the Final Fantasy XV base game can simply buy the Royal Pack DLC to enjoy some of the additions featured in the Royal Edition. The Windows Edition has also been released on the PC today.
