Final Fantasy Versus XIII Final Fantasy Versus XIII was a game planned for the PlayStation 3 as part of the " " series . It was intended to be a companion game to " Final Fantasy XIII " alongside the mobile game " Final Fantasy Agito XIII " , the three sharing from the same " Fabula Nova Crystallis " mythos . Bearing many originating themes carried on into its succeeding game , the theme of " Versus XIII " was " a fantasy based on reality " , and the game was to take place in a setting similar to contemporary Earth . However , " Final Fantasy XIII " — headed by Yoshinori Kitase and Motomu Toriyama — ended up becoming a series on its own , " Final Fantasy Agito XIII " — headed by Hajime Tabata — became " Final Fantasy Type - 0 " for the PlayStation Portable that spanned its own world and series , and " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " — headed by Tetsuya Nomura — never really took shape , and its concepts were eventually reworked into " Final Fantasy XV " for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One . The trio of games for the series then called " Fabula Nova Crystallis : Final Fantasy XIII " was unveiled in 2006 . Although " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " was unveiled then , it stayed in preproduction stage for years and there were long periods of media silence on its status , harboring much speculation among fans . In E3 2013 the game was officially rebranded and re - announced as " Final Fantasy XV " , and in 2014 it was announced Tetsuya Nomura was no longer heading the project , the title passed to Hajime Tabata known for directing Square ' s portable titles " Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII - " and " Final Fantasy Type - 0 " . Gameplay . Some gameplay was demonstrated in trailers ( " See external links " ) , but it is unclear whether the game ever had a fully playable form as the gameplay demonstrations appear to be scripted and possibly existed in " proof of concept " stage . Noctis was shown wielding a myriad of weapons , teleporting , and even using a gun turret . Some footage showed blood spilling from enemies when stricken . The interface bore similarities to the menu system used in " Kingdom Hearts " . In addition to showing the common commands of Attack , Magic and Item , another option showed " EX Arts " , assumed to be some kind of Limit Break system or series of special attacks . Party members were to have their portraits in little bubbles on the screen that displayed their battle stats , and it was said the player could switch between party members on a whim . Like " Kingdom Hearts " , the standard active party size as demonstrated in the trailer was three characters . Playing as different characters meant engaging in their fighting style . Gladiolus was said to wield heavier weapons easily while Prompto was planned with a third person aiming mode allowing for targeting enemy weak points that could not be hit when playing as Noctis . Without Noctis the party couldn ' t use magic , as the ability was said to be intertwined with story elements , as powers were granted to those under the regal fellowship of the crystal . The game was to be an action RPG and the player was to be able to control vehicles , an airship included , and the game was to be fully seamless with a world map . Characters . Most of the characters announced remain in redesigned forms for " Final Fantasy XV " , apart from Stella Nox Fleuret who was replaced by Lunafreya Nox Fleuret who shares some design elements from Stella . Noctis Lucis Caelum was the main character and remains such for " Final Fantasy XV " , and he was to be joined by party members Gladiolus Amicitia , Ignis Scientia and Prompto Argentum , although all of them went through a redesign on both their outfits and their physical appearances . Other characters glimpsed from trailers were Regis Lucis Caelum , the king and Noctis ' s father , and Iedolas Aldercapt , the leader of the enemy state of Niflheim . The mysterious white - robed man from " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " trailers is in " Final Fantasy XV " as Ravus Nox Fleuret . The dragoon character briefly glimpsed for " Versus XIII " , appears as Aranea Highwind in " Final Fantasy XV " . Setting . Compared to the finalized version of its successor , the world of " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " was rooted heavier in the lore of the " Fabula Nova Crystallis " with an indirect but still influential presence . The thematic presentation was said to be that of a darker tone with an emphasis on examining the cast ' s humanity . " Final Fantasy Versus XIII ' s " setting presented a world where four nations once had crystals , but lost them to warfare fueled by coveting the other nations ' crystals . Lucis remained the only nation with a crystal and thus prospered thanks to their crystal ' s magic and influence . The rest of the world developed in the field of military power and warfare , and grew distant from Lucis . The tensions grew into a politico - resource strife driven cold war . The nation of Niflheim would have united the other nations under its banner as its solution to lay Lucis at siege for its crystal . It is unknown what measure the lore of the " Fabula Nova Crystallis " and the influence of Etro would play in this . The nation of Lucis was said to have worked akin to a mafia crime family since the nation ' s ancient beginnings . Noctis was the crown prince , and Regis the current king . Ignis , Gladiolus , and Prompto — Noctis ' s team members — acted as his entourage akin to a Yakuza " kyodai - shatei " structure . Etro was the patron goddess of Lucis known as the goddess of death , and Lucis thus had a dark design , being only portrayed at night time , and had prevalent Grim Reaper motifs . The royal family and other citizens of Lucis were to wear black to go with this theme . The game was to open with a formal party to celebrate the treaty - signing between Lucis and Niflheim , where Stella Nox Fleuret talked to Noctis about a legend from her home country of Tenebrae . The legend stated that whenever Etro opens the Unseen Gate , the souls of the dead ascend as a streak of light to the heavens and through the Gate . When few among the dying see the light , they are given power from the Kingdom of the Dead . Stella stated she can see the light , as could Noctis . Noctis guessed both of them had had a near - death experience . The treaty - signing was but a ruse and Niflheim forces stormed the city to steal its crystal . Noctis and his friends fought their way through soldiers and Behemoth s . Noctis was to face a mysterious white - clad man who also appeared to wield the power of the crystal , and even fight Stella , who would display the same power to summon weapons via magic . Gentiana ' s original role for " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " was that of Stella ' s messenger , and a contact point between the countries of Tenebrae and Niflheim . Character designer Roberto Ferrari has lamented on his time developing for " Versus XIII " , saying that the story " kept changing every three months " . Therefore , it is difficult to gauge how much of the settings shown for the game were concrete . Development . " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " was to be directed by Tetsuya Nomura and to be released for the PlayStation 3 as part of the " Fabula Nova Crystallis : Final Fantasy XIII " series , where three games — " Final Fantasy XIII " , " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " and " Final Fantasy Agito XIII " — were to form a new subseries with shared . " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " was originally developed with the Crystal Tools engine for the PlayStation 3 , but it was announced in December 2011 the game had been moved to a game - specific engine for the gameplay mechanics with the lighting being done by the Luminous Engine and the Crystal Tools still doing the real - time graphics . The " Versus XIII " name came into play in juxtaposition to " Final Fantasy XIII " and its sequels that take place in fantastical worlds that are literally and culturally disconnected ( e . g . Cocoon and Gran Pulse in " Final Fantasy XIII " ) . For " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " Square wanted the world to be different from the original " Final Fantasy XIII " by presenting one whole , connected world . Hajime Tabata , chosen as the new director for " Final Fantasy XV " , has described the situation with the game as unique , and that he had learned that releasing information about a game early , as was the case with " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " — a game that never really took shape — forms a different view by the world to what the developers themselves think . The moment it goes out the information stops being just a thing for the developers , but becomes something for the fans who form attachments to things like characters , such as Stella , who was ultimately replaced for " Final Fantasy XV " . He said that handling the way people relate to the released information is something that will be important for the future , as Square Enix had made a mistake in revealing " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " so early . Because " Versus XIII " was incomplete and not fully formed , there wasn ' t a whole lot brought over to " Final Fantasy XV " . Tabata has described " Versus " as more an idea that an actual game . 2006 – 2009 . Unveiled at E3 2006 with a trailer , " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " was said to be " not merely a sequel , but a wholly independent story unfolding in a different world with different characters . " The game was going to be developed by the team responsible for the " Kingdom Hearts " series . Tetsuya Nomura would be the director and character designer , but not costume designer , as Square Enix signed a contract with Japanese fashion brand Roen to promote their clothing designs in the game through different characters . Roen Creative Director Himuro Takahara served as the game ' s costume designer , but before his designs were implemented , Noctis was shown wearing a placeholder attire designed by Nomura . The production team was bare - bones for a period of several years , with Eiji Kitada , a digital artist and then - employee of Square Enix ' s Visual Works department ( the division responsible for CG cutscenes ) , and one other person , doing all the CG work together . Kitada wrote in his blog at the time that other projects took precedence , but that one of the first things he participated in on the Visual Works team was " Final Fantasy Versus XIII ' s " pre - production . The person he worked with was the modeling supervisor on the project , and he was the lead position , and the duo handled all of the pre - production modeling and rendering . " " was running as a separate project , and the two also supported the " Advent Children " team . The game ' s engine history implies about its development process : Square Enix revealed Crystal Tools at Game Developers Conference 2008 , which means that the real - time conversation they showed off between Noctis and Stella a few months later was likely some of the first content actually created for the game . Despite its 2006 announcement , chances are that not much more than concepts and a trailer existed for " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " until nearly two years later . 2009 . After nearly a year of silence , " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " was briefly shown at Tokyo Game Show 2009 in a private theater showcasing the game ' s first gameplay footage , though Nomura commented it was merely a demo and most footage would not be used in the final game . He said the clip was made to prove the game was still in development . At Jump Festa 2010 Noctis ' s new outfit was put on display . It had a more modern look with a jacket and pants , as opposed to his old outfit from past trailers . 2010 . After " Final Fantasy XIII " launched resources could be shifted back to the " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " project , but technical issues were bringing the project nearly to a halt . According to then - Technology Director Julien Merceron , the " universal engine " Motomu Toriyama ' s team built for " Final Fantasy XIII " couldn ' t handle " Versus XIII " anymore because it had been designed to fit the former ' s specifications , and buckled under the open - world environments designed for " Versus " , making it virtually unusable . Ultimately , Square Enix was forced to commission the creation of a brand new engine for " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " called Luminous Studio . During an interview with " Famitsu " , Nomura stated he was unsure whether " Versus " would be shown at E3 2010 . When E3 took place , the game was not shown . On May 18 , when asked by a Square Enix investor at a shareholders ' meeting about a possible Xbox 360 port , president Yoichi Wada stated " We ' ll be looking into it internally until right before the formal announcement . " After some backlash , he clarified his original statement on Twitter : " It looks like the [ inter ] net is heating up . Versus on Xbox ? What I said at the earnings press conference was just that until a formal announcement is made at the announcement time ; all points about all titles are not finalized . " On June 23 , new in - game screenshots and details about " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " were revealed , and it was confirmed the game would appear at the 2010 Tokyo Game Show . On June 29 , an issue of " Dengeki PlayStation " stated Nomura and the fashion company Roen had completed all character designs and the scenario was finished as well . On August 9 , Nomura announced via Twitter that voice casting for " Final Fantasy Type - 0 " and " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " had begun along with other bits of news . On August 25 , Yoshinori Kitase announced , during an interview with GamingUnion . net , that " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " " may not be released until after 2011 " . During the 2010 Tokyo Game Show , Square Enix confirmed they planned to present " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " in their January 2011 conference , which was part of their " Fabula Nova Crystallis " conference . On September 17 , the 30 - second trailer for the game had been leaked onto the Internet along with that for " Final Fantasy Type - 0 " . The footage contained Noctis in his new outfit briefly running through the areas shown in previously released screenshots . The trailer ended with Noctis fighting a Behemoth and there were instances of blood shown whenever Noctis slashed at it . On October 8 , the combined " Final Fantasy Type - 0 " and " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " trailer from Tokyo Game Show was officially released on the Internet through the Japanese Square Enix Members website . 2011 . On January 18 , 2011 , Square Enix held the 1st Production Department Premier . It was originally named the Fabula Nova Crystallis Conference and the original date was set on January 11 . The event included new trailers and the announcement of official release dates . Fans got to hear Noctis speak for the first time , along with the other characters . Besides " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " , the event featured new video content of " Final Fantasy Type - 0 " , " Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy " , " Kingdom Hearts 3D : Dream Drop Distance " , " Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep Final Mix " , and other titles . Square Enix hinted at several new titles to be revealed at this event , such as " Final Fantasy XIII - 2 " . In summer 2011 Square Enix got its first look at the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One , which threatened to make the PlayStation 3 - exclusive " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " irrelevant before it was even finished . Sticking to the game ' s origins was no longer an option and the project had to change . On July 2011 , in an interview with Tetsuya Nomura , it was revealed that " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " hadn ' t yet entered full production . He went on to say the date for the next showing of the game had been set . In early August for the 500th issue of " Dengeki PlayStation " magazine , Nomura stated " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " would not be shown at Tokyo Game Show 2011 in September . On August 31 , 2011 , a renewal for the trademark of " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " was filed by Square Enix . On September 10 , 2011 during the " Final Fantasy XIII - 2 " fan meeting , producer Yoshinori Kitase was questioned about the development of " Final Fantasy Type - 0 " and " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " . His answer was : " for " Type - 0 " and " Versus XIII " we are giving 100 % to development . " 2012 . On the Japanese gaming magazine " Famitsu " , Nomura announced the game will be a mix between real - time cutscenes and pre - rendered cutscenes with a ratio of 7 : 3 ( 70 % real - time and 30 % pre - rendered ) . He stated the next time the game would be shown there would be a demonstration using real time footage . Nomura said working on " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " took priority , in response to fans ' requests for a " Final Fantasy VII " remake . On July 24th , 2012 , the then Square Enix president Yoichi Wada posted a tweet dismissing rumors that arose about the game being cancelled after a long period of media silence , also hinting its progress would surprise its fans , particularly in the game ' s city environments . On September 1st , 2012 , in the event of " Final Fantasy " 25th Anniversary , Tetsuya Nomura did a sketch of Noctis for the event . " Congratulations on the 25th anniversary . Please wait for his turn to appear " . On October 10th , 2012 , Nomura said that " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " was still in development and asked fans to wait for more detailed news regarding the game . In 2012 it was decided development would shift to next - generation consoles , and the name was officially changed into " Final Fantasy XV " within the company , although the public revelation of the re - branding would wait until E3 2013 . In July 2012 , around the time of the cancellation rumors , Wada ordered the " Final Fantasy Type - 0 " team to join the " Final Fantasy XV " development to create a prototype for the next - gen consoles . The team working on the game got resized from 200 workers to around 20 in 2012 right before the arrival of Hajime Tabata and the " Final Fantasy Type - 0 " team . In December 2012 Hajime Tabata became co - director to finish the project , which would eventually have him transition as the new director . He sat down with Tetsuya Nomura about the direction of the title to ensure that characters , like Noctis , would be maintained in the best possible way . Tabata has later said that when " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " became " Final Fantasy XV " , it was around 25 % complete . Tabata spearheaded a massive restructuring effort where not even the most well - publicized parts of " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " were safe . Stella would eventually be cut altogether , and many features Tetsuya Nomura had personally praised , like character switching in battle , were scrapped . 2013 . On February 21st , 2013 , GameSpot reported that Shuhei Yoshida , the president of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios , said about " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " that " I have some knowledge , but I ' m not in a position to talk about it " . On March 19th , 2013 , VG Leaks reported that not only had production been halted because of the failure and subsequent rebuilding of " Final Fantasy XIV " , but that it had been moved to the PlayStation 4 and was being co - developed by Sony as a PlayStation 4 exclusive , and was reworked into " Final Fantasy XV " . Square Enix refused to comment . On April 17th , 2013 , during the inaugural episode of Square Enix Merchandise Radio , Tetsuya Nomura spoke briefly about the game : " It ' s a delicate situation within the company . The date for our next reveal is set and we are working toward preparing information for that . Perhaps the details as to why information couldn ' t be released might be touched upon with the next information announcement . " During Sony ' s press conference at E3 on June 10 , 2013 , a prerecorded video of Tetsuya Nomura was played where he acknowledged that not much information on the project had been released as of late , and that while he couldn ' t immediately share new details , new information would be revealed in the coming days . Following the message , a new trailer for the game played with the end of the trailer announcing the game has been renamed " Final Fantasy XV " , with development moved to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One . As part of " Fabula Nova Crystallis " . " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " was intended to be a part of the " Fabula Nova Crystallis : Final Fantasy XIII " series , of which the numeric was later dropped when " Final Fantasy Agito XIII " became " Final Fantasy Type - 0 " . Thus it was to share the and of a world divided in the realm of the living and the realm of the dead , the unseen realm , the way between them being Etro ' s gate operated by the goddess of death . Uniquely for " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " , it was said that those who had had a near - death experience could " see the light of expiring souls " and gain power from the Kingdom of the Dead . An aspect that made " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " distinct from the rest of the series was its focus on the human perspective of the mythos ' s core divine conflict , as opposed to " Final Fantasy XIII " which focused on the deities and their goals . An element of all " Fabula Nova Crystallis " games is to re - imagine the series ' s core concepts , such as the role of crystals and those bestowed by their power , called Warriors of Light in the early series . Thus " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " was also to have these elements , Noctis ' s kingdom possessing the world ' s last crystal that appeared to have bestowed the royal family , and thus Noctis himself , with power to summon crystal weapons , use magic , and to teleport . Stella appeared to have these powers as well . Souls appearing as glimmering crystalline lights is one of the main motifs of the " Fabula Nova Crystallis " series and featured prominently in early " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " trailers . In fact , the crystal shards were more prominent in " Versus XIII " material than what they ended up being in " Final Fantasy XIII " and " Final Fantasy Type - 0 " , where the " crystal souls " are merely glimpsed at . The theme of the glimmering crystal lights carried over to " Final Fantasy XV " . The thematic core of the mythos also provided the base for original lore in the world of " Final Fantasy XV " . Aspects of " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " retained for " Final Fantasy XV " . Because " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " had been presented via trailers and other forms of media , one of the goals in developing " Final Fantasy XV " was to preserve the elements users were aware of and excited about . While this served as inspiration , there were elements that didn ' t fit the new conception . The main party of Noctis , Gladiolus , Ignis and Prompto remains for " Final Fantasy XV " , although their designs were revised . Cor was the fifth permanent party member in " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " , but his role was reduced and became a mentor - like figure to the party in " Final Fantasy XV " . The black car that appeared in " Versus XIII " trailers appears to be a precursor for the Regalia in the final game . The base story of the kingdom of Lucis protecting the world ' s Crystal able to wield its power is still present . Noctis is an equivalent of the Warrior of Light and he can see the " light of souls " when wielding the Ring of the Lucii . Though the intended opening for " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " of Noctis meeting Stella at the treaty - signing party was scrapped , the idea morphed into the film " " . Instead of Noctis meeting Stella before the painting of Etro , Nyx Ulric meets Lunafreya Nox Fleuret in scene that pays homage to the " Versus XIII " opening . As the treaty is to be signed , the white - clad imperials and the black - clad Lucians draw their weapons upon one another in a scene reminiscent of a scene from " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " . A lot of the music composed for " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " is part of the " Final Fantasy XV " soundtrack , such as " Somnus " . The locales also appear similar , as a nighttime metropolis and a gas station on a desert were shown for " Versus XIII " , and similar locations remain in " Final Fantasy XV " . The female dragoon from " Versus XIII " trailers is introduced in " Final Fantasy XV " as Aranea Highwind . The white - robed man and the elaborately dressed man from the early " Versus " material remain in " Final Fantasy XV " as Ravus Nox Fleuret and Ardyn Izunia . The suit the king wore in the " Versus " trailers is still worn by the redesigned King Regis and Noctis himself as DLC for " Final Fantasy XV " . Noctis wears the suit he wore in the opening for " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " at the end of " Final Fantasy XV " . The character Gentiana and the dog Umbra were designed for " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " , and remain for " Final Fantasy XV " albeit " recast " with new roles . Noctis was always able to teleport and forge crystalline weapons from thin air , and also to wield all of his weapons at once via magic . In " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " Noctis was said to be able to " see the light of expiring souls " and those with those ability had gained power from the Kingdom of the Dead . This may have become the " bonding of the souls " concept for " Final Fantasy XV " , where Noctis can wield the combined powers of his forebears . In the early " Versus XIII " trailers , Noctis ' s eyes were shown turning red . In " Final Fantasy XV " this happens when he summons astral s . " Final Fantasy XV " uses the same logo art with new colors . When the player completes the game the logo changes to a new version .