Final Fantasy Type-0 HD
During the production of "Final Fantasy Type-0", the development team explored the possibility of a high-definition port of the game. The idea never went beyond experimentation as the team was focused on keeping the game as a portable experience. The team also experimented with a sequel on eighth generation consoles, but production was halted when the development team were transferred to "Final Fantasy XV". After some time working on "XV", original director Hajime Tabata decided to develop "Type-0 HD" for eighth-generation consoles. The game began development in mid-2012, around the same time "XV" was shifted onto PlayStation 4 (PS4) and Xbox One. Tabata came on board in July of that year as director and producer, though his involvement was fairly minor due to his directing duties for "XV". The main development was handled by HexaDrive, who had previously collaborated successfully with Square Enix on "The 3rd Birthday", and had developed the high-definition remasters of "Ōkami" and "". The remaster was intended as an incentive for "Final Fantasy" players in both Japan and the west to purchase eighth generation consoles before "XV"s release. The original plan was for a port to both the seventh generation PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles, and eighth generation consoles. After the PS4 proved popular at the 2013 Tokyo Game Show, and as Tabata had no development experience with seventh generation console hardware, the team focused on the eighth generation versions. According to art director Yusuke Naora, moving from the PlayStation Portable to eighth-generation hardware proved hard for the team. Despite early claims, no version of "Type-0 HD" was developed for the PlayStation Vita. According to Tabata, this was due to difficulties in porting between console and Vita development environments, and his wish for a playing experience he could only envision on home consoles.
Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy
The games have been complemented and expanded upon through other media. For "Final Fantasy XIII", a small book of short stories titled "Final Fantasy XIII - Episode Zero" was released, first through the game's website and then as a print release in December 2009. It shows events prior to the game's opening. A second novella, "Episode i", was published via "XIII-2"s official website, bridging the narrative gap between "XIII" and "XIII-2". Alongside "XIII-2"s Japanese release, a book detailing events not shown or described in the game titled "Fragments Before" was released in December 2011 including "Episode i"; this would be followed up by "Fragments After", released in June 2012. Only "Episode i" has received an official English release. "Lightning Returns" was also set to receive a prequel novel by Benny Matsuyama alongside the game's Japanese release in November 2013, however this was later cancelled due to the author falling ill. A three-part novella exclusive to "Famitsu Weekly" magazine titled "Final Fantasy XIII Reminiscence: tracer of memories" was released across June and July 2014. It was written by Daisuke Watanabe, who handled the scripts for the "XIII" games, and takes place immediately after the ending of "Lightning Returns". "Reminiscence" was later released online.