PlatinumGames has confirmed that Babylon’s Fall “borrows” gear and emote assets from Final Fantasy XIV after fans who partook in the recent beta noticed similarities and expressed concerns.
Babylon’s Fall producer Yosuke Saito and Final Fantasy XIV producer Naoki Yoshida jointly penned a blog to explain that this isn’t just a case of someone haphazardly copying homework, and is in fact deliberate.
“When I gave my Babylon’s Fall presentation at a company meeting, Final Fantasy XIV Producer and Director Naoki Yoshida was also in attendance and offered his help, to which I replied, ‘Yes, please!'” wrote Saito. “This is how the plan came to fruition. We then carefully implemented the data while closely coordinating with the Final Fantasy XIV team.”
Saito added that borrowing data from the Final Fantasy XIV team allowed Babylon’s Fall developers to introduce “a much wider variety” of gear and emotes than originally planned.
“When I first heard Mr. Saito’s plan for Babylon’s Fall, I thought to myself, ‘Ahh, so he’s making a hardcore action-based hack-and-slash game. I’m kind of jealous,'” Yoshida chimed in. “But at the same time, I thought, ‘Preparing all of the gear variations needed for the gameplay is going to be really difficult.’ After all, a hack-and-slash game is far more enjoyable when numerous items and gear are available.”
Yoshida admitted that Square Enix isn’t in a position to give Babylon’s Fall “an unlimited budget” because it’s a new IP, so the teams resorted to sharing data.
Babylon’s Fall is in development for the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC.
[Source: Babylon’s Fall (official website)]
