So we all remember how Final Fantasy XV has been in development for like, forever right? When the game was announced I was just getting my drivers license and now I'm married and purchasing my first house a couple weeks from its release! Turns out what is NOW known as Final Fantasy XV wasn't always the game plan for the next mainline Final Fantasy game. In fact, Square Enix and Eidos were developing a completely other game back then called "Project W" which, according to Dark Pixel Gaming, was the TRUE Final Fantasy XV. Here's their description from the video...

"The biggest thing I go over in this video would have to be Project W. This is the biggest kept secret that Square Enix and Eidos have. After Purchasing Eidos and cancelling the Final Fantasy XII spin-off game Fortress (being developed by Grin), Square Enix decided to start pre-production on a Western Final Fantasy. Not just western in the sense that it appeals to a western audience, but in the sense that a western company would be the one making it. A few other companies were brought on to help visualize the new universe like WETA, the geniuses behind the VFX in The Lord of The Rings. The project went along for a couple of years before Square Enix decided to pull the plug. This new Final Fantasy was going to take place mostly in Outer Space. Not quite the void of space that we imagine, though. This space was full of waves and clouds and shapes. It was an abstract yet beautiful take on a very different universe from our own. The game would center around classic airships that could sail through the vastness of space. It reminded me a bit of Rogue Galaxy, in some ways. I hope they pick up the project again one day! It seems like it was really going to be something else. They had sunk millions and millions of dollars on the project, but, I guess the first Western Developed Final Fantasy will have to wait, but I'm sure it's coming at some point in the future! My guess is that Eidos Montreal will still be the company that develops it, though the ideas are likely to change a lot from what Project W was (since Square Enix canned it and all). This all parallels what happened to Grin in 2009 when they made the Final Fantasy XII spin-off game Fortress. "

There's a lot to take in there, so let's bullet point the major parts...

Final Fantasy XV was originally meant to be the first Western made Final Fantasy game.
This game was meant to take place in outer space and generally be different than past mainline FF games.
The game was cancelled and Japan started fresh on what is now FFXV...
Project W is still floating around in the Ether and could be revisited at some point in the future.

Watching this video made me a little upset about how awesome this game could've been! Check it out and rant below and follow Dark Pixel Gaming here.