Final Fantasy XV Goes Gold, Online Multiplayer Coming, Hajime Tabata Confirms

Final Fantasy XV‘s release date is fast approaching. Headed to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on Nov 29th, 2016, the game marks a return to single-player role-playing for the franchise. Since Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn‘s release in 2013, the Final Fantasy community has been clocking in hours upon hours into the critically and commercially acclaimed MMORPG release. Now, Final Fantasy XV has gone gold, and it seems to be introducing some multiplayer of its own. Director Hajime Tabata confirmed online gameplay will be coming to the game during a livestream today.

While presenting at the Final Fantasy XV livestream at Paris Games Week, Tabata revealed a variety of new information for viewers. For one, season passes are coming for Final Fantasy XV fans. These passes feature three episodes that take place during the game’s timeline. New areas and monsters will feature, and weapons from DLC can be taken back into the main game as well. The pass will be available for $25 USD.

After the first three episodes, the Comrades expansion pack will come to Final Fantasy XV. This will introduce a “brand-new online co-op mode for up to four players,” where players can do battle while taking on one of the four main characters. Comrades will be included in the season pass, too.

Final Fantasy XV‘s online multiplayer might not be the kind of massively multiplayer online role-playing experience that Final Fantasy XIV fans grew to know and love. But the added content available in the game’s season pass is certainly interesting. Due to the sheer amount of DLC that will be pushed out post-release, too, it may be more affordable to simply grab the Season Pass early instead of waiting for Comrades to come out.

But that depends largely on how each individual DLC will be priced. For many players, Comrades might be the real appeal: not the additional episodes. Likewise, many fans might find zero reason to pickup Comrades, preferring the game’s singleplayer campaign over any co-op online. It’s a tough call, but one that the gaming community will be able to make after Final Fantasy XV hits store shelves worldwide this November.