Final Fantasy 15 Director Talks About Delay

Final Fantasy XV director Hajime Tabata has spoken up again to talk about why it was decided that the long-awaited and much-anticipated game be delayed from September to November.

Speaking with Famitsu, as translated by and reported on by Kotaku, Tabata started off by stating that "the optimization isn't [yet] sufficient." There are "various bugs" throughout the game, while frame rate is not holding to its 30 FPS target as well as Square Enix would like.

Some of Final Fantasy XV's bugs won't keep players from advancing (a lot of games have bugs like this), but there are others that Tabata hopes can be fixed before release. "There are still of number of bugs like characters floating unnaturally in the air or appearing all strange [and glitchy]," he explained.

Tabata also talked about how one of his goals with the two months' extra development time is to "refine the game balance," though no further details were provided.

As had been discussed when the delay was announced earlier this month, one of the most substantial reasons for the delay, however, was so that Square Enix could avoid a major day-one patch. Not everyone's console is connected to the internet, Tabata said. He cited data that stated more than 20 percent of gamers in Japan have the internet and a console, but the two aren't necessarily connected.

Speaking generally about delaying Final Fantasy XV, Tabata previously apologized for pushing the game, saying it was the right move to help "achieve a level of perfection that our fans deserve."

"We kindly ask for your understanding," he said.

The Final Fantasy XV movie, Kingsglaive, was not delayed. It debuted in select theaters earlier this month and is now playing in a handful of new markets.

For more on Kingsglaive, a CG movie that features the voices of Sean Bean, Aaron Paul, and Lena Headey, check out GameSpot's review. You can also read GameSpot's own interview with Tabata about the Final Fantasy XV delay and more.

It's been a long time coming for Final Fantasy XV. The game was originally announced years ago as Final Fantasy Versus XIII. It was later was re-named Final Fantasy XV and shifted from last-generation consoles to current platforms. The game's main concept, world, and story were kept intact during the transition, though there have been some changes.