Final Fantasy Resonance will not bring back Ariana Grande or several other guest characters from Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, the Square Enix mobile game that closed in 2024.
Brave Exvius combined characters from across the long-running RPG series with celebrity guest units. Katy Perry, Addison Rae and Ariana Grande were among the real-world performers represented in the game, with Grande appearing through four summonable units inspired by her music videos and album artwork.
During a discussion about Resonance, producer Keisuke Nakashima and director Hiroto Furuya explained that the new title is taking a more focused approach to its crossover cast. Rather than attempting to include the more than 2,000 characters available in Brave Exvius when it shut down, the development team has selected a curated group of “visions”. These assist characters act as secondary party members.
A smaller, more focused Final Fantasy cast
The project is being developed by Square Enix’s Team Asano, the group behind Octopath Traveler, Triangle Strategy and Bravely Default. Character choices for Resonance were guided by combat abilities, game balance and personality.
Most of the main protagonists from the series will appear, alongside a selection of supporting characters. However, the planned roster is intended to remain a defined part of the finished game. The team does not currently plan to expand it through additional content or downloadable characters.
That approach reflects Team Asano’s emphasis on polishing the core experience before considering post-launch additions. Nakashima said development time is being directed towards making the base game as strong as possible, rather than planning downloadable content from the outset.
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Why Ariana Grande is absent
Grande’s return was specifically ruled out. Her Brave Exvius characters do not fit the creative direction and overall atmosphere established for Final Fantasy Resonance.
The four Grande-inspired summonable units can be viewed in this reference to the four summonable units.
Final Fantasy Resonance is scheduled to launch on Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, PlayStation 5, PC and Xbox Series X/S on October 22.
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