Former Final Fantasy XV Director Teams Up with Saudi Arabia to Create New Games

Former Final Fantasy XV director Hajime Tabata announced an international partnership between his company, JP UNIVERSE, and Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Investment. The agreement, signed on September 24, is part of the Vision 2030 initiative and focuses on developing original games for the global market.

Tabata confirmed the deal and expressed optimism about the collaboration’s prospects. He stated:

“JP UNIVERSE, which I represent, signed a partnership agreement with the Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia on September 24. Under Vision 2030, we intend to develop original games for an international audience.”

The developer emphasized that large-scale game projects demand substantial effort, and described the new partner as “a dependable collaborator for serious work.”

As part of the agreement, a studio named SA GAMES has been established in Riyadh to serve as JP UNIVERSE’s primary hub in the Middle East. Preparations are already underway for the studio’s first project. Tabata thanked Japan’s Ministry of Economy, JETRO, the Center for Cooperation with Middle Eastern Countries, and the Japanese Embassy in Saudi Arabia for their support in launching the initiative.

Tabata is known for leading Business Division 2 at Square Enix and for serving on the Final Fantasy oversight committee that guided the franchise’s development. He left Luminous Productions and Square Enix in 2018 to pursue his own ventures.

According to Tabata, the technologies and expertise developed have been integrated into the PEGASUS WORLD KIT engine, which is available to external developers. He stressed that JP UNIVERSE’s mission is to “make the world brighter and more creative through games.”

Source: iXBT.games