Square Enix held a special Final Fantasy XV livestream today to commemorate the game's upcoming second anniversary. While most gamers were no doubt expecting nothing but good news, Square Enix revealed that the majority of the game's DLC has been canceled, and director Hajime Tabata has quit.

Earlier this year, Square Enix revealed that Final Fantasy XV would receive at least four story DLC in 2019. As of today, Episodes Aranea, Lunafreya, and Noctis have all been scrapped and will not see a release. Episode Ardyn, which will flesh out the game's world 30 years prior to Final Fantasy XV's story, will still make it to gamers' systems, with a planned release set for March of 2019.

According to Square Enix, director Hajime Tabata is also no longer working with the company as of the end of October. Developer Tabata thanked the game's loyal fans, and announced that he plans to pursue new projects and will start his own business. Meanwhile, the internal game studio Luminous Productions that was originally working on the DLC will focus on AAA titles going forward.

final fantasy 15 dawn of the future dlc

This news no doubt comes as a shock to fans of Final Fantasy XV, especially given the timing of the announcement. It was just earlier this year that the developer had detailed Final Fantasy XV's story DLC release schedule at PAX. The exact reasoning behind the change to the DLC releases wasn't explained, but it likely coincides with the $33 million loss that Square Enix detailed in its most recent fiscal report, which was due to restructuring Luminous Productions.

Despite the cuts to Final Fantasy XV's planned releases, Square Enix isn't turning its back on the game. There are plans to release a new anime short, and a collaboration with MMO Final Fantasy XIV will arrive on December 12th. Final Fantasy XV Multiplayer Comrades releases the same day, with new bosses, weapons, and costumes available. After the standalone version launches, gamers won't be able to play the original Comrades expansion, but are invited to download the new game for free.

Source: YouTube (via GameSpot)

Final Fantasy 15 is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.