Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles Launches on Nintendo Switch Without War of the Lions Content – Square Enix Explains Decision

Square Enix has officially addressed why the highly anticipated Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, launching on September 30, 2025 for Nintendo Switch and the upcoming Switch 2, will not include content from the acclaimed War of the Lions version.

This decision, clarified by the game’s director Kazutoyo Maehiro, has sparked conversation within the RPG community, given War of the Lions’ reputation for adding significant improvements and new features to the original classic. Originally released in 2007 for the PSP, Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions expanded upon the PlayStation classic with new characters, jobs, cinematic pre-rendered cutscenes, and multiplayer functionality.

Fans had speculated whether these enhancements would be carried forward into The Ivalice Chronicles, but Square Enix has now provided context for their exclusion. In an official interview, director Kazutoyo Maehiro shared insight into the team’s approach.

He explained that neither he nor many of his current colleagues were directly involved in the development of War of the Lions, but he recognized that the PSP version set a high bar for player expectations at that time.

As development began on The Ivalice Chronicles, the team — including members from the original game — asked themselves how best to introduce Final Fantasy Tactics to a new generation. Maehiro emphasized that this reflection led the developers to focus on respecting and recreating the core experience of the original title in its most refined form.

He acknowledged that the team did weigh the possibility of incorporating new jobs, characters, and abilities, including those introduced in the War of the Lions release.

Ultimately, however, Square Enix determined that the original Final Fantasy Tactics was already a comprehensive work in terms of both gameplay and narrative.

Changes, he noted, "would not only detract from the experience for longtime fans but potentially diminish it for newcomers as well." While the decision means The Ivalice Chronicles will not feature War of the Lions-exclusive content, Square Enix is delivering a range of improvements designed for modern platforms.

Players can look forward to enhanced visuals, a redesigned user interface, additional in-game conversations, and for the first time in the series, full voice acting.

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles will be available worldwide for Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 via the eShop on September 30, 2025.

The debut trailer offers a glimpse of these updates and has already attracted significant attention from both franchise veterans and RPG fans anticipating its release.

Stay tuned for further coverage as more information becomes available ahead of launch.

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