Square Enix announces that A King's Tale: Final Fantasy 15, a 2D side-scroller exclusive to GameStop pre-orders, will be available for free to all players next week.

Released last November to positive reviews and impressive sales numbers, Final Fantasy 15 has been on the market long enough that fans have likely completed the bulk of the game's lengthy main story campaign and the 200 or so sidequests currently available. For those players hoping for the release of new content soon, Square Enix have made the wait considerably more bearable by announcing the release of a free Final Fantasy 15 side-scrolling game next week.

According to a report from Gematsu, A Kings's Tale: Final Fantasy 15 - a 2D side-scroller previously exclusive to those who pre-ordered Final Fantasy 15 at GameStop - will be available as a free download to everyone in Europe on March 1 for the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. Square Enix have yet to announce a U.S. release date for the game, but it is expected to be released on February 28 or within the week at least.

One of a number of transmedia offerings that help tell Final Fantasy 15's ambitious story, including the Brotherhood anime series and the Kingsglaive CGI film, A King's Tale is set 30 years prior to the main game and focuses on King Regis and his faithful companions, Weskham, Cid, and Clarus as they defend the royal capital from invading monsters.

While the 2D side-scroller will be a welcome addition for fans who didn't pre-order the game, it's prequel setting will do little in addressing the narrative problems in Final Fantasy 15, particularly those present in the game's controversial 13th chapter. Having said that, fans won't have to wait long before the planned chapter 13 update is patched in come March 28.

As for those hoping for something a little bit more substantial than A King's Tale, players will soon be able to play as Gladio in Episode Gladiolus, the first of three major post-launch story DLC packs, which is scheduled for release on March 28. Beyond the paid expansions, fans can also expect a number of free updates in the following weeks, such as the Magitek Exosuit DLC and the upcoming addition of a Cup Noodle helmet into Noctis' wardrobe.

With a number of updates already released such as the Holiday Pack, the upcoming slate of major story DLC, and now the upcoming release of A King's Tale, Square Enix certainly been committed in its post-launch support of Final Fantasy 15. Given that the game has already made back its development costs on its launch day, it appears that all this effort is paying off big time for Square Enix after a decade's worth of development.

A King's Tale: Final Fantasy 15 will be available on March 1 in Europe for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. No U.S. release date has been announced yet.