Endless Myth and Final Fantasy XV
— Inherited Media Mix and the Unfinished Narrative —
The novel Endless Myth and Final Fantasy XV may seem very different on the surface.
However, both can be meaningfully compared through three key aspects:
large-scale conceptual expansion, inherited media mix strategies, and narrative completeness.
One is an endlessly expanding mythology, while the other is a project shaped through a long and complex development history.
This article focuses on the inheritance of media mix, its drawbacks, and the idea of an unfinished story.
1. Origins: Infinite Myth vs. Transforming Project
Endless Myth is built from the beginning as an infinite structure.
Expansion is not a side effect—it is the foundation.
Final Fantasy XV originated as
Final Fantasy Versus XIII,
part of the larger
Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy.
Over time, the project underwent major changes and was eventually restructured into Final Fantasy XV.
2. Inherited Media Mix
Final Fantasy XV inherits the media mix strategy established by Final Fantasy XIII.
Its story is spread across multiple formats:
- The film Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV
- The anime Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV
- DLC episodes and later novelizations
As a result, the narrative does not fully exist within the game alone.
Endless Myth also expands across multiple formats:
- Main narrative
- Side stories
- Observational logs (X Documents, WhatsApp records)
However, in Endless Myth, this expansion is structurally intentional and integrated into the work itself.
3. Development Time: Twelve Years of Transformation
The development of Final Fantasy XV, including its earlier form, spanned roughly 12 years.
This prolonged production involved:
- Technological changes
- Shifts in development teams
- Revisions of core concepts
These factors significantly affected the consistency of the final work.
In contrast, Endless Myth treats the passage of time itself as part of its expansion.
4. The Drawback: Fragmentation of Narrative
This is the most critical issue.
In Final Fantasy XV, the distribution of the story across multiple media resulted in:
- Incomplete understanding when playing only the game
- Missing character development
- Key events occurring outside the main medium
This creates a fragmented narrative experience.
5. The Unfinished Story
Final Fantasy XV does not present a fully complete narrative within the game itself.
Canceled DLC and later novel adaptations attempted to fill in missing elements,
but the original vision was never fully realized.
Thus:
FFXV: an unintentionally unfinished story
In contrast:
Endless Myth: a narrative designed to be unfinished
6. Essence of Myth: Design vs. Transformation
Endless Myth is designed as an infinite structure from the outset.
Final Fantasy XV is a work transformed through long-term development and shifting direction.
In short:
Endless Myth: expansion by design
FFXV: structure shaped through change
Conclusion: Is Incompleteness a Failure or a Possibility?
Endless Myth and Final Fantasy XV present two different meanings of incompleteness:
Endless Myth: incompleteness as structure
FFXV: incompleteness as outcome
The former embraces incompleteness as its foundation.
The latter arrives at it through circumstance.
And this comparison leads to a central question:
Should a story strive for completeness—
or can incompleteness itself hold meaning and potential?
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