Final Fantasy 15 Billboard in Japan: 'FF Is Coming Out'
By Kyle Sledge 23 November 2016
Video game publisher and developer Square Enix promotes Final Fantasy 15 with a minimalist approach in Japan with a billboard that says “FF is coming out.”
After having been announced approximately ten years ago as a PlayStation 3-exclusive spin-off titled Final Fantasy Versus 13, having gone through a title change, and much more, it’s safe to say that fans of Square Enix’s long-running role-playing game franchise are eagerly anticipating the official launch of Final Fantasy 15. Now, in order to further stoke the passions of the series’ ardent fan base in Japan, the publisher and developer have put up a rather simplistic billboard in in Tokyo’s Shibuya that plainly states, “FF is coming out.”
With Square Enix taking a scaled-back approach to marketing in this way, it’s obvious that the company is confident in Final Fantasy 15‘s ability to sell itself without any over-the-top displays. After all, as previously mentioned, the series’ fan base is already well aware of the lengthy development process that the game has been through, and knows exactly which entry in the franchise is being referenced.
While the banner image at the top of the article does a pretty decent job of conveying the minimalism in the billboard’s design, there have also been innumerable Final Fantasy 15 fans who have been excited enough about the game’s release to snap photos of the advertisement and share it on their personal Twitter accounts. Those interested can take a gander at the understated placard from various angles in the series of tweets below.
FFの広告かっこよすぎかよw pic.twitter.com/pedSVSkXSo
— †Åっスィー† (@eODcPXTG5AF6OVq) November 20, 2016
FFが出る。
渋谷。そのシンプルさが異様な存在感を放っていた。ブランドになる、それはいろんな説明を省略する。あれこれ言う必要がなくて、ひと言で弾丸のように伝わる。ずるいな、とも思うけど、これまで積み重ねてきてるものが違うんだなと思った。#広告空論 pic.twitter.com/VWDbF4dpWE— 阿部広太郎 (@KotaroA) November 20, 2016
トリビア情報ジャスティス！！
— JUSTICE MONSTERS V (@jmv_jp) November 21, 2016
有名な渋谷駅の「FFが出る！」看板ジャスね（画像）
近くで見ると実はちゃんと看板の下に文字があったジャス！
FINAL FANTASY XV 11.29（火）全世界同時発売 SQUARE ENIX
びっくり！！#ジャスモン #FF15 #FFXV pic.twitter.com/Xm0Vpyur41
As seen in the image in the last tweet above, only when one gets close enough can they actually make out the official November 29 release date of Final Fantasy 15. Of course, even though Square Enix has set the end of this month as the sanctioned time for the game’s launch, it hasn’t stopped folks from getting their hands of the title prior to its authorized availability, as there are lots of gamers in South America getting to experience FF 15 right now and streaming video of their playthroughs due to its street date breaking.
Of course, while there are surely some fans jealous of their inability to play Final Fantasy 15 at the moment, it’s not as if Square Enix doesn’t have plenty of videos to tide them over until it officially hits store shelves next week. As a matter of fact, should there still be gamers on the fence about picking up the title, the developer has published a piece of footage that shows off the first 40 minutes of the game in order to help people make an informed decision about their purchase.
All things considered, it’s obvious that Square Enix has invested a lot of time, effort, and revenue in order to ensure the success of Final Fantasy 15, especially when one takes into account the lavish marketing materials beyond the billboard seen above. For instance, Audi Japan worked with Square Enix on a cross-promotion for its special edition Audi R8 V10 that appears in the Final Fantasy 15 movie Kingsglaive, which costs a whopping $469,000. Hopefully, for the sake of the video game developer and its fans, Final Fantasy 15 not only delivers the goods, but also becomes a financial boon.
Final Fantasy 15 is set to release on November 29, 2016 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Source: eODcPXTG5AF6OVq – Twitter, tama_rs – Twitter, KotaroA – Twitter, jmv_jp – Twitter (via Kotaku)
