Final Fantasy 15: Prompto Getting His Own Panel at GDC
By Dalton Cooper 26 December 2016
Final Fantasy 15 gets a special panel at the 2017 Game Developers Conference that will focus on the auto-snapshot feature, Prompto, and how to create ’emotional AI.’
Love him or hate him, Prompto was one of the most talked about characters from Final Fantasy XV. His photography was a highlight for many Final Fantasy XV players, allowing them to revisit key moments from their adventures. Prompto and his photography skills were so popular, in fact, that Square Enix is taking time to honor him at the Game Developers Conference in 2017.
Next year’s Game Developers Conference runs from February 27th to March 3rd, where attendees will have the opportunity to learn more about Prompto’s role in Final Fantasy XV during a special panel called Prompto’s Facebook: How a Buddy-AI Auto-Snapshots Your Adventure in FFXV. The exact date and time of the Prompto panel have yet to be announced, but specifics should be revealed in the weeks leading up to the conference.
Those in attendance for the Prompto panel can expect to learn quite a bit about the character and how he enhanced Final Fantasy XV. First off, Square Enix will take about the auto-snapshot feature, which is what allows Prompto to take in-game photos automatically. Not only will GDC 2017 attendees learn the technical aspects behind the feature, but they will also learn how auto-snapshot “changes game experiences.” Additionally, Square Enix will discuss how to create “emotional AI” characters like Prompto and Noctis’ other party members.
Some may find Prompto’s personality grating, but no one can deny his importance to the Final Fantasy XV experience. Square Enix seems to agree that Prompto is integral to the adventure, otherwise it wouldn’t dedicate an entire panel at the Game Developers Conference to the character, let alone plan on expanding his role in the game with future DLC and content updates.
As it turns out, Prompto will be the star of Final Fantasy XV‘s PlayStation VR experience, which is expected to be added to the game before the year is out. However, not much has been said about the mode since it was revealed at this past year’s E3 event, so perhaps it’s been delayed to next year.
In addition to Prompto’s appearance in Final Fantasy XV‘s PlayStation VR experience and his panel at GDC, he will also be featured in his very own DLC episode. For the uninitiated, Square Enix is giving Prompto and the rest of the party DLC episodes to flesh out their characters, which will lead up to the game’s four-player online co-op mode. Maybe the DLC episodes for the other party members will introduce new gameplay features that will justify giving them their own GDC panels in the future.
Final Fantasy XV is available now for PS4 and Xbox One.
