Final Fantasy Type-0
"Final Fantasy Type-0" was originally titled "Final Fantasy Agito XIII", envisioned as a game for mobile devices. It was conceived in 2005 as part of "Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy", a subseries of "Final Fantasy" games linked by a common mythos. "Agito XIII" was the final original "Fabula Nova Crystallis" game to be created. The decision to make it a mobile game was based on the popularity of "". Hajime Tabata, who contributed to the "Fabula Nova Crystallis" mythos, was searching for a new project after finishing "Before Crisis" and became the game's director. "Before Crisis" producer Kosei Ito acted as producer before his move to Capcom prior to 2009. Beginning development in 2006, it was first announced at that year's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). It was said to offer on-the-go access to the "Fabula Nova Crystallis" universe, using gameplay functions exclusive to mobile phones of the time. The concept was to deliver a game for mobile platforms equivalent to a console game from the main "Final Fantasy" series, and to make it available in its entirety upon release rather than in episodic format.
Final Fantasy Type-0
"Type-0"s scenario was conceived by Tabata and written by Hiroki Chiba and Sarah Okabe. While the game was still titled "Agito XIII", Tabata described it as "a major title [...] formed from a variety of concepts" which included the collision of four fantasies (the game's view of Orience), a battle between magic and weapons, and the two sides of reality. The early story concept drew heavily from popular manga and anime, but little survived after the platform change. Tabata instead chose a new style similar to historical films and documentaries. The new story's concept started with the idea of a war story told by young people caught up in the event, with its story themes revolving around death and its impact on others. A major inspiration was the Japanese documentary series "Centuries of Picture". The final story was darker than many other "Final Fantasy" games. Despite its title change, the game was kept within the "Fabula Nova Crystallis" mythos. The approach taken with the mythos was to portray the roles of its deities from a historical standpoint, while telling a story focused on the human side of events. The cyclic nature of the game's universe was created to help incorporate aspects of the mythos. The roles and backgrounds for each character in the game were conceived and put into place after the setting and main story had been finalized. After the game's release, Tabata commented that when he was writing the story he would have liked to have been more thorough, and to have made the story easier for players to understand.