⠀WORLD OF THE VERSUS

WORLD OF THE VERSUS is a fansite dedicated to documenting and archiving all information and resources on the story, world and characters of FINAL FANTASY Versus XIII and the greater FABULA NOVA CRYSTALLIS: FINAL FANTASY XIII mythos all in one place. Rather than scouring the Internet for hearsay and spreading misinformation or unverifiable facts about the story and world, the purpose and idea of WORLD OF THE VERSUS is to be a definitive and trustworthy resource for fans of Versus XIII to refer to - complete with verified sources and citations!

⠀FABULA NOVA CRYSTALLIS: FINAL FANTASY XIII

First announced in 2006, FABULA NOVA CRYSTALLIS: FINAL FANTASY XIII is best described a metaseries within a metaseries, intended to transcend the typical formula of individual numbered entries in the succession of mainline entries in the Final Fantasy series. Much like the mainline FINAL FANTASY titles themselves, the games and stories within the Fabula Nova Crystallis subseries are connected by shared ideas, themes and worldbuilding elements rather than a single unified world of story. Initially pitched as three separate games united by a common mythos, Fabula Nova Crystallis aimed to represent new interpretations and reimaginings of Final Fantasy's trademark crystals and their role in the games' worlds and narratives. The initial three Fabula Nova Crystallis titles included FINAL FANTASY XIII, FINAL FANTASY Agito XIII, and - most pertinently - FINAL FANTASY Versus XIII.

⠀FINAL FANTASY Versus XIII

FINAL FANTASY Versus XIII was to be one of the flagship titles of the Fabula Nova Crystallis metaseries, directed by long-time character designer and Kingdom Hearts director Tetsuya Nomura with production handled by veteran Final Fantasy producer Yoshinori Kitase and then-Final Fantasy brand manager Shinji Hashimoto. Envisioned as a dark urban fantasy story and described as "a fantasy based on reality," Final Fantasy Versus XIII was set to follow prince Noctis Lucis Caelum as he set upon a dark and violent path in the midst of a siege upon his homeland of Lucis.

Following a long period of development hell, Final Fantasy Versus XIII was rebranded as FINAL FANTASY XV and eventually deviated heavily from Nomura's direction, later put under the direction of Hajime Tabata (who had previously directed CRISIS CORE: FINAL FANTASY VII and Agito XIII's successor FINAL FANTASY Type-0) and finally released in a drastically altered form in 2016.

While Final Fantasy Versus XIII never saw the light of day and likely never will, Nomura's initial vision for Versus XIII still lingers on in the brief glimpses of insight fans received during its tumultuous development cycle. WORLD OF THE VERSUS aims to compile all remaining pieces of what could have been in one place.