Final Fantasy Type-0
While working on "Final Fantasy XV", Tabata decided to make a high-definition remaster of "Type-0" for eighth-generation consoles. Developed by Square Enix and HexaDrive, "Final Fantasy Type-0 HD" was originally announced at E3 2014, and released worldwide in March 2015. After "Type-0"s release, Tabata stated in an interview that he wished to explore the distant history of Orience after the events of the game. Trademarks for "Type-1", "Type-2" and "Type-3" were registered shortly after the "Type-0" trademark, but it was suggested that they were simply a protective measure. During interviews given in 2014, Tabata commented that he wished to work on "Type-1" after completing "XV", and later explained the conceptual "Type" series as a means of publishing "Final Fantasy" games too experimental for the main series. He hoped to continue with the "Type" series if "Type-0 HD" was commercially successful.
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII
The concept of "Lightning Returns" originated during development of "XIII-2", while the development team was brainstorming ideas for possible continuations of the story and universe of the games, though there was no solid decision to make a second sequel to "XIII" at the time. Development of "Lightning Returns" started in May 2012, soon after the release of "Requiem of the Goddess", the final story-based DLC episode for "XIII-2". According to Motomu Toriyama, he had wanted to tell more stories about Lightning, and the DLC had not provided a satisfactory ending for her. The game was designed in a shorter time than the other games in the series; Yoshinori Kitase explained that this was because the team did not want players to forget the story of the previous games, and the team needed to work especially hard as a result. Another reason was that the team wished to bring the "XIII" series to a close before the release of the next generation of gaming hardware. The title was also chosen to be the last original "Final Fantasy" game on seventh generation consoles, and next-gen versions of the game were not considered. Developer tri-Ace, who had previously worked with the team on "XIII-2", returned to help with the graphics.