David Brown
Here's Why Square Enix is Only Using Luminous Engine for Final Fantasy XV
Better safe than sorry.
12.23.15 - 8:54 PM

A question was recently raised at a masterclass lecture during the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie in Paris as to why Square Enix had pulled back from using the Luminous Engine in several games to just Final Fantasy XV. Luckily, Julien Merceron, the former Square Enix Worldwide Technology Director was in attendance to make short work of this seemingly complicated question.

final fantasy xv luminous

According to Merceron, Final Fantasy XV is being used as a sort of test run for Luminous. Although some companies use the same engine in different games before it has been used in a fully developed, released game, this can be very risky, according to Merceron. Square Enix isn't willing to use Luminous on other games until Final Fantasy XV proves its worth.

This isn't the first time a company has done this. The Fox Engine was used in Pro Evolution Soccer but only after it proved itself useful and capable in Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes. Despite having passed countless efficiency and quality tests, the Fox Engine wasn't allowed to be used in development for Pro Evolution Soccer until it passed its final test in a fully running game.

Depending on when Final Fantasy XV released, it is possible that Square Enix may use the Luminous Engine for games like Kingdom Hearts III and others. However, since the development of Final Fantasy XV is seemingly taking longer than expected, it is more likely that Unreal Engine 4 will used for other games nearing their release.

Final Fantasy XV is expected to be released in 2016 for PS4 and Xbox One.


Back