Master of the character action genre PlatinumGames is currently working with Square Enix for the new multiplayer-based hack-and-slasher Babylon’s Fall.
The game is currently in Phase 3 of its closed beta test (available in limited regions- Asia is not included), and something that fans have noticed is that the gear items you find look very, very similar to another Square Enix game, the MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV.
A new official post on the game’s site has clarified the situation, where both Babylon’s Fall producer Yosuke Saito and FFXIV producer and director Naoki Yoshida that this is done intentionally, with the okay from both parties.
“To get straight to the point: yes, Babylon’s Fall contains gear and emote data borrowed from Final Fantasy XIV,” Saito said.
“When I gave my Babylon’s Fall presentation at a company meeting, Final Fantasy XIV Producer & Director Naoki Yoshida was also in attendance and offered his help, to which I replied, ‘Yes, please!'”.
“This is how the plan came to fruition. We then carefully implemented the data while closely coordinating with the Final Fantasy XIV team.”
“I myself am a huge fan of online games, a gamer, and a developer,” said Yoshida. “That’s why I couldn’t be happier if Babylon’s Fall succeeds and reinvigorates Japanese online games while boosting the number of players in the genre.”
“So, I said, ‘Let’s use FFXIV’s assets too. We have so many, it’d be a shame to limit them to FFXIV alone,’ and that’s how it all started. Back then, I didn’t realize that it would become such a hot topic…”
Re-using assets for multiple games can be a bit controversial among players, as it leads the impression that a game developer is cutting corners or, and this is a very bad take, “lazy”.
Yoshida made note that games like Babylon’s Fall don’t have “an unlimited budget”. And these FFXIV gear assets will only populate Babylon’s Fall’s mid-level range (hence why it’s seen a lot in the closed beta test). The rare and desirable gear for Babylon’s Fall will still be unique gear designed for the game.
Plus, the two producers also assured players that subtle design changes and adjustments are being made, not just being plopped as is, so it works with the context of Babylon’s Fall, under the supervision of the FFXIV team.
It’s interesting that a new IP like Babylon’s Fall now have a connection to the Final Fantasy IP through assets-sharing, as well as seeing the developers being transparent about it.
Babylon’s Fall is coming to the PS4, PS5 and PC (Steam), but with no release date yet.