Though Final Fantasy XV was supposed to have another four DLC Story Episodes, those other than Episode Ardyn (that was already in development at the time) were all cancelled. The three cancelled Story Episodes were going to focus on Aranea, Lunafreya, and Noctis – though it’s unlikely that they will ever be made into DLCs, seeing as how the director of FFXV has left Square Enix.

Not wanting to disappoint fans that were looking forward to these DLCs, the intended stories of these Episodes were featured in a novel instead. The novel, Final Fantasy XV – Dawn of the Future, has already been released in Japan. It will be translated and released overseas as well, though a release date has not yet been confirmed.

A special edition of the novel includes an art booklet featuring concept art from these canceled DLC Episodes. This concept art was uploaded to Twitter by @FFPlanet, who explains how the ending might have changed based on the events in the Episodes.

What Changes in the DLCs?

Fans of FFXV would know that in the main story of the game, Lunafreya sacrifices herself in the process of trying to seal away darkness from the land. This darkness happens to be spread by Noctis’ demonic and immortal ancestor, Ardyn, who Noctis sacrifices himself to permanently defeat. The ending, as you would imagine, is bittersweet. Light is literally restored to the land, and Noctis and Lunafreya reunite in the afterlife.

In the Episodes, though, Lunafreya was supposed to be resurrected by Bahamut and given the same demonic powers that Ardyn possesses. This presumably takes place in Episode Lunafreya.

Episode Noctis would have included a final battle against Bahamut, which would have involved a team-up between Aranea, Ardyn, Lunafreya and Noctis. Of course, they would have defeated Bahamut. Though Ardyn would die in the process, Lunafreya would have been revived for good. A state funeral would have been held for him, and the new ending of the game would have shown Noctis and Lunafreya with their two children.

(Much like in the picnic art that Square Enix released a while back, that you see at the beginning of this article.)

Overall, it’s a real shame that these DLC Episodes got cancelled – these stories would have played out beautifully in-game. While they can still be appreciated in literary form, it’s unfortunate that the whole story of FFXV will not be realised in game form.

A sleepless cryptid with a sweet tooth, who spends most of her free time on the internet. Sheryl loves binge-watching shows on Netflix, Persona 5's Joker, arcades, and all her emotional support K-Pop boys.