Let’s face it: “open world” has become a code phrase for “vast expanse filled with useless trinkets, dumb quests and the same few textures over and over” in so many games that tout their huge worlds as a selling point. Though the game’s trailers and Tabata’s own words may have led us to expect a massive open world the whole way through, Final Fantasy XV can only be improved by not going that route.

We were told earlier this year that the world of Final Fantasy XV is one contiguous landmass across which our bro-tagonists can walk, drive, or take the train - perhaps even take an airship, if Tabata’s team has worked that problem out. In an interview with Famitsu, Tabata stated that Final Fantasy XV’s first half is open world, while the second half is more linear and structured.

In further “ Final Fantasy XV may not the billion things it’s been hyped up to be” news, director Hajime Tabata has revealed more detail about the game’s structure.