It seems for a while there, Final Fantasy XV director Hajime Tabata would be sticking around Square Enix to continue building the franchise around with new projects. Alas, that doesn’t appear to be the case.
Videos by ComicBook.com
As reported by Gematsu, Tabata has announced that he has left both Square Enix and Luminous Studios. His departure was actually back on October 31, but it looks like he just announced it now.
Here’s his full statement on his departure, and what he’ll be doing next:
Hello, this is Tabata.
It’s almost going to be two whole years since the release of Final Fantasy XV. 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, Final Fantasy XV stood out from that group as it was a special project for me which I went all-in on.
Therefore, I decided to take this opportunity to officially announce my departure from Final Fantasy XV 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 Final Fantasy XV. 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 of you fans.
I would like to thank everyone who continue to support Final Fantasy XV and those who have also supported myself personally.
— Hajime Tabata
Creating your own studio is definitely a task that takes a great deal of effort. But Tavata has enough experience to get the job done. We certainly wish him the best of luck!
As for what pushed Tabata to leave, we’re unsure, but part of it may be with the decision that all Final Fantasy XV DLC planned has been cancelled, save for Episode Ardyn, which is still on the way. We’ll try to get more information on this as it becomes available.
FInal Fantasy XV is available now for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC.
