 Cover artwork featuring leads Noctis Lucis Caelum and Lunafreya Nox Fleuret. | |
| Author | Emi Nagashima |
|---|---|
| Original title | 小説 FINAL FANTASY XV -The Dawn Of The Future- |
| Translator | Stephen Kohler |
| Language | Japanese |
| Series | Final Fantasy |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Publisher | Square Enix |
Publication date | April 25, 2019 |
| Publication place | Japan |
Published in English | June 23, 2020 (Square Enix) |
| Media type | Print (ebook and hardcover) |
| Pages | 408 |
| ISBN | 1-6460-9000-4 |
Final Fantasy XV: The Dawn of the Future is a fantasy novel, written by Emi Nagashima (as Jun Eishima) and published by Square Enix. It is based on the universe and characters of Final Fantasy XV, an entry in the company's long-running Final Fantasy franchise. It was first released in Japan in April 2019, before being released worldwide in June 2020 as one of the debut titles in the company's newly formed Western publishing house.
The story follows four characters from the game; main protagonist Noctis Lucis Caelum, lead heroine Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, supporting character Aranea Highwind, and main antagonist Ardyn Izunia. The four experience a series of events which alter their destinies and bring them into conflict with Bahamut, leader of the world's deities. The Dawn of the Future was intended as an alternate finale to and definitive ending of Final Fantasy XV and its additional media.
The novel's narrative was originally planned as episodic downloadable content for Final Fantasy XV in 2019, but only the first episode was completed due to the departure of project leader Hajime Tabata. The team wanted to release the planned narrative, so opted to have Nagashima turn their draft storyline into a novel. Both the staff and Nagashima, who had written novels for both Final Fantasy and Nier: Automata, were skeptical about the project. In Japan, the novel saw higher-than-expected sales. Western reviews were mixed; several praised the character portrayals, but its theme of defying fate saw negative reactions when compared to the game's themes of sacrifice.