Monday brought word that Final Fantasy XV, Square Enix’s long-in-development JRPG, will now spend a little longer in development – two months, to be exact – as it opts for a late November launch. Hoping to cushion that blow somewhat, Square Enix and Sony Pictures have now rolled out the opening 12 minutes of Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV, the CG prequel movie designed to introduce you to the “menacing empire of Niflheim.”
Starring Sean Bean, Aaron Paul and Game of Thrones stalwart Lena Heady, Kingsglaive is part of Square’s extravagant launch plans for Final Fantasy XV, joining the five-part animated series Brotherhood – episode four is available today, August 17.
Whether it’s enough to allay disappointment at the game’s prolonged stint in production is up for question, but nevertheless, you can get up to speed on the overarching premise of Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV, below.
The magical kingdom of Lucis is home to the sacred Crystal, and the menacing empire of Niflheim is determined to steal it. King Regis of Lucis (Sean Bean) commands an elite force of soldiers called the Kingsglaive. Wielding their king’s magic, Nyx (Aaron Paul) and his fellow soldiers fight to protect Lucis. As the overwhelming military might of the empire bears down, King Regis is faced with an impossible ultimatum – to marry his son, Prince Noctis to Princess Lunafreya of Tenebrae (Lena Headey), captive of Niflheim, and surrender his lands to the empire’s rule. Although the king concedes, it becomes clear that the empire will stop at nothing to achieve their devious goals, with only the Kingsglaive standing between them and world domination.
After enjoying a debut in Japan last month, Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV is on course to hit these shores on August 30, when Square’s cutting-edge CG feature will be available via VOD. It’ll then expand to Blu-ray on October 4.
Final Fantasy XV, on the other hand, will finally release across PS4 and Xbox One on November 29.