Yoshihisa Hashimoto, Square Enixs Chief Technology Officer, has lead the charge into the next-generation for the company with the Luminous Engine that will host games such as Final Fantasy XV. A PC version is currently undecided, but collaborations with Luminous Studio are planned for the future. The game, as per the team, will require a top of the line (expensive) machine to run. Its because of this, that they want to see what the demand will be from the PC audience (which is your cue to let them know that you want it).
Previously, Final Fantasy games were developed on a lead console and ported to other systems such as Final Fantasy XIII. Final Fantasy XI was originally designed to fit within the capabilities of the PlayStation 2 and its hard disk drive, though support outside Japan was dropped when the consoles production eventually ceased. Such is the case with a Final Fantasy XV Xbox One version.
While Sony has touted PlayStation Vita will support Cross-Platform Play with PlayStation 4, Square Enix is considering the handheld for use with Final Fantasy XV. In addition to Vita, tablets and smartphones are on the table for various features.
Combat in Final Fantasy XV is taking a turn for more action as the above gameplay video illustrates. The team has taken a directional shift away from turn-based or time-based (ATB) combat for an entirely new direction. The team commented that one feature being added to the game is the ability to climb onto monsters in battle. A concept similar to this could be seen in the Final Fantasy Versus XIII 2011 trailer when Noctis was able to use combat vehicles (tanks, magitek). Noctis uses a behemoths horns to launch himself in the air in the newest gameplay trailer above.
Youll also be able to switch between the three characters in your party at any time. Noctis, Gladiolus, and Prompto have been featured in footage thusfar, but we have yet to see the return of Ignis in combat or the newly-revealed Cor.
Final Fantasy executive producer Shinji Hashimoto hopes that traditional Final Fantasy fans wont be disappointed and will embrace the shift away from Active Time Battle (a 22-year old convention) and Square Enix is looking forward to hearing feedback about the action-oriented combat. He also assures us that we will be hearing more about the game soon, and that the dishonest days of withholding information about games in development for months is at an end.