Episode 135 - The Rise and Fall of the Luminous Engine

Today we're diving into the story of one of the most overhyped and underwhelming game engines in recent memory Square Enix’s Luminous Engine. This is the tech that powered Final Fantasy XV and Forspoken, two games that looked amazing in trailers but hit major roadblocks during development.

We’ll walk through how this engine started, why Square Enix thought it could rival Unreal, and how it ended up holding back the very games it was supposed to elevate. From flashy tech demos to real-world development headaches, this episode breaks down what went wrong, and why Square Enix eventually ditched it for Unreal Engine.

If you're into Final Fantasy, game development, or just love hearing how big ideas crash and burn this ones for you.