FINAL FANTASY XV - Packaging Art for the West

By Square Enix Team

Hey Fans!

During E3 (has it already been nearly a month!?!?) we previewed the “near final” Western box art for FINAL FANTASY XV. Today I’m super mega ultra excited to reveal the completed artwork! So without further ado, here it is!

Pictured: North America editions

(EU version will be the same)

I must have been a fool to think that the one we previewed during E3 was 99.9% final! This finished key art has changed dramatically in a month’s time and I couldn’t be happier with the outcome.

You can watch the FINAL FANTASY XV E3 Kickoff program to see the difference for yourself here - http://bit.ly/ffxvart

So what happened between E3 and now? Well, the Business Division 2 Art Team happened, that’s what! Everyone over at Business Division 2, including game director Tabata, was very excited about where the box art was heading and couldn’t help themselves from offering a helping hand. Or two. Or three.

While E3 was taking place, I had actually sent the work in progress files to the BD2 Art Team, and immediately, artist Yusaku Nakaaki and art director Yusuke Naora began making some tweaks and recommendations. Even Takeshi Nozue, director of KINGSGLAIVE: FINAL FANTASY XV, pulled me aside and offered some advice. It was an unbelievable feeling to know that such incredibly talented individuals were taking the time to help little ol’ me. This even after I butchered the Trial of Titan demo and failed to redeem myself afterwards.

By the way, I am still not sure what happened. I can do better than that, I promise!!

While this started as a first time ever project where the package artwork was being created from scratch outside of the development team, it ended up even more amazing thanks to the dev team’s assistance. I think it’s perfect, and there’s not a thing I would change about it. I’m thankful to work with such an awesome and supportive dev team.

A few points of context I didn’t get to quite detail out during the Square Enix Presents segment at E3:

  1. My history with the franchise and what I wanted to convey

I grew up playing FINAL FANTASY, ever since FFI with my older brother. It was unlike any other video game I had played before and life has never been the same. I have a ton of fond memories of playing through so many FF’s and I know everyone has their own adventure and personal experiences with the franchise. But distilling down what FINAL FANTASY is all about to its bare bones, I really wanted people to feel invited to come join the adventure ahead. While FINAL FANTASY XV is a completely separate and new adventure unlike anything before, this is the perfect time to jump into the franchise, which is what I wanted people to see when looking at this artwork with all of the subtle details.

  1. What are the shadowy figures in the background?

One bit of information that hasn’t been revealed quite yet… the figures in the background. While I don’t want to spoil who or what they are, just know that they are extremely important to both KINGSGLAIVE: FINAL FANTASY XV and FINAL FANTASY XV. It’s much more fun for you guys to find out for yourselves vs. me spoiling anything!

  1. An exclusive reveal right here on the Square Enix blog is the full layout of this artwork!
  1. Being able to make a choice!

And as a global company, we wanted everyone—whether a hardcore fan like myself or a newcomer to the franchise—to have a choice. On the reverse side of this coversheet we have printed the historically beautiful FF logo on a clean background. The choice is up to you!

Pictured: North America editions

(EU version will be the same)

I hope you all look at this package and join Noctis, Gladio, Ignis, and Prompto on their incredible journey. An unforgettable experience awaits you on September 30, 2016.

Artwork is such an interesting and subjective topic for me, but I’d like to turn it over to you, the public, and ask two questions:

  1. What do you think of the artwork?
  2. If you had the opportunity, what would you want to communicate in a single piece of artwork for FINAL FANTASY?

Mat Kishimoto

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