We are just weeks away from the release of the long awaited Role Playing Game (RPG) Final Fantasy XV (FFXV). Any fan of the Final Fantasy series knows that Moogles have had a consistent presence in the games even though each game is a standalone adventure. In the upcoming title, Moogles almost didn’t make it into the game, but Square Enix thought that they owed it to the fans to include the adorable creatures in FFXV.

For those new to Final Fantasy, Moogles are a race of creature that recur in each game since the Japanese release of Final Fantasy III. The name is derived from the Japanese words, mogura  and kōmori, meaning mole and bat. They are usually white in color with a pink nose and purple wings. Moogles have taken on different looks in different games, but for the most part, they all look alike.

In a video interview posted on the official Final Fantsy XV YouTube channel, Square Enix developers talk about how Moogles almost didn’t make it into the upcoming title and how the fans inspired them to find a way to fit them into the new title. Overworld Director Yasuyuki Matsunami talks about what went into creating FFXV’s version of the creatures:

“Since we weren’t going to have Moogles originally, I freaked out a bit when they dropped the news on me. But I realized that Moogles are a fan favorite., so I focused on a way to work them into the game, and ended up making a whole new Moogle.

Now, usually we’d start with a digital model, but I really wanted it to really feel like a stuffed animal, and you just can’t get that raggedy expression when you start with modeling. I decided we’d make a stuffed animal and scan it in since recreating that hand-made feel was our main goal.

We also had to think of a good way for players to use the Moogle. You throw [it] out at enemies and they go after it- they really beat the heck out of it.”

So instead of a live animal, the adorable beings will be stuffed animals that can be used as decoys while fighting enemies. According to Concept Artist Yuki Matsuzawa, their limbs are longer than previous versions due to the fact that they will be chewed on, ripped away, and flung around. This new design allows those movement to look really dynamic as your stuffed decoy takes a beating.

Game Director Hajime Tabata goes on record to say that even though Moogles were not expected to make it into FFXV, the team heard the fans and realized that they were in popular demand by fans of the series. Tabata asks, “Is popular demand a good way to decide what goes in a game?” According to him, “I think it’s a great way.” Hajima went on to explain why he feels that they are an important addition to the game:

“Having a Moogle wasn’t necessarily critical to Final Fantasy XV’s game design, but if our development team addressed only the bare essentials, would we and our fans be truly happy with the game? I don’t believe we would. So we set this aside as something we wanted to do for the fans, and looked for the best way to make it work for developer and fan alike.”

Don’t you just love it when game developers take notice of what the fans want, no matter how minor it may be? Kudos to the FFXV team for think of us. Final Fantasy XV is slated for release on November 29. You can check out the full interview below:

What do you think of the dedication for the fans? Are you excited to play the next entry of the epic RPGs? Let us know in the comments below and stay tuned with DFTG for all of your gaming news. Kupo!