Final Fantasy XV is not connected to previous games in the Final Fantasy series. The story focuses on a young man named Noctis Lucis Caelum, the heir apparent to the kingdom of Lucis, where the world's last remaining mysterious magical crystal is kept. At the beginning of the game the crystal is seized by the invading hostile nation Niflheim, which triggers a global conflict with other peoples who wish to obtain the crystal. Noctis and his closest friends set out on a journey to try to reclaim the lost magical relic.
The game became the longest-developed title in the Final Fantasy series, spending ten years in development. Originally announced as Final Fantasy Versus XIII, the game was developed as part of the Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy subseries alongside Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Type-0, sharing a common mythology. In 2013, at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, it was announced that the game's title had been changed to Final Fantasy XV.