Final Fantasy 15's Prompto VR Shooter Mode Won't Be Released, Square Enix Confirms

While a VR mode for Final Fantasy XV is still on the way in Monster of the Deep, the one originally revealed last year will never see the light of day. Square Enix has confirmed that the shooter-style demo shown off at E3 2016 will not be released to the public.

In a statement issued to GameSpot, Square Enix stated, "Final Fantasy XV: VR Experience at E3 2016 was a technology demo that we showcased. Since then, we have learned much from the technology and have leveraged our learnings from the Episode Prompto DLC. The result of that is our first PlayStation VR title, Monster of the Deep: Final Fantasy XV." This news follows a report from Sirus Gaming, which stated that Square Enix declared the project dead at a recent PlayStation Experience event in Malaysia.

VR Experience put players in the shoes of Prompto, one of the main party members in Final Fantasy XV; it was revealed at E3 2016 in the trailer above. Prompto was shown wearing a PlayStation VR headset along with some brief glimpses at gameplay from the VR mode. It was essentially a lightgun-style game, providing players with a first-person perspective as they fire Prompto's guns at targets while standing in one spot (though he could freely warp around to different fixed locations).

At the time, Square Enix said it had plans to release the mode, which would be provided to those who owned Final Fantasy XV on PS4 at some point after the main game's launch. "We aren't thinking about marketing it as a separate project at all," Final Fantasy XV director Hajime Tabata told GameSpot at the time. "It really is something extra to be enjoyed by the people who purchased the game."

"We're thinking it'll probably be a DLC release later for the game," he continued. "It really is our core belief that we should satisfy the people who buy the game that we've made as much as possible; we also want them to play for as long as possible too so it really does help with that--gives them something extra."

Final Fantasy XV has seen far more support than the typical single-player Final Fantasy game. In addition to a variety of free updates and premium DLC packs, Square Enix also plans to release an update introducing online multiplayer, which was on display in two recent beta tests. And, as noted above, there's a VR spin-off mode in development called Monster of the Deep that centers around fishing.