Square Enix has given fans a new idea of what players can expect of Project Athia, the Luminous engine-powered title that was first shown at the PS5 Reveal event. While the initial teaser showed very little of what the upcoming game is going to offer, this latest news shows the much grander scope that Luminous Productions is looking at for developing the PS5 exclusive.
In an interview with Weekly Toyo Keizai Plus, a Japanese business and finance publication, Square Enix President Yosuke Matsuda spoke about a number of projects the company is currently working on, including Project Athia. This is the latest bit of news fans have received about the project since the PS5 exclusive's teaser trailer released last month, with only quick flashes of what players can expect from the game.
The biggest reveal Matsuda mentioned in the interview is that Project Athia will be an open-world adventure game that allows players to travel all across a large game map. This wouldn't be the first Luminous project to strive for this type of experience, as Final Fantasy 15's Eos was presented as an open-world, at least in the early hours of the game. Having already built a successful title of this scope in the same engine will likely give Luminous Productions a steady foundation to build from when working on the upcoming PS5 exclusive.
From what little was shown in the initial trailer, Project Athia does seem to have a well-developed movement system, allowing players to travel a large world at fairly quick speeds. Thanks in part to some of the visuals shown, as well as the history of the Luminous Engine, many fans had already assumed that the next game is developed with the same tech would also be open world. Hopefully, Luminous Productions will take notes from the successes of Final Fantasy 15 when approaching this new title's massive scope.
With Square Enix standing as one of the biggest names in JRPG's, working on titles like Final Fantasy 7 Remake and the new RPG-Shooter Outriders, there are a lot of eyes on the gaming producer and developer. So, while Luminous Productions may be a more recently established development studio, having the Square Enix brand attached to Project Athia means that there is a lot riding on what is really the company's debut title. However, considering how amazing the Luminous Engine makes games look, combined with the possibilities that come with developing for the PS5, it is likely to make some waves at the very least.
Project Athia is currently in development for the PS5.
Source: Gematsu