New Mod Successfully Restores Final Fantasy XV’s Cut Opening Story
Insomnia City Returns in Its Peaceful, Undestroyed State
Whenever Final Fantasy XV is mentioned, many players can’t help but feel that it’s true potential was never fully realized. The game’s universe was originally envisioned on a massive scale, but due to various development challenges, many planned elements were cut or repurposed into other media formats, including films and novels some of which were never officially localized. Despite this, Final Fantasy XV remains an important entry in the series, marking a major transition toward action-oriented gameplay.
It is well known that early versions of Final Fantasy XV faced criticism regarding pacing and the apparent lack of content, much of which seemed to have been removed before release. One of the most notable examples is Insomnia, the hometown of Prince Noctis, which players only ever experienced through cutscenes and wartime battles. Recently, however, a user named Jaredus on ResetEra has showcased a new mod that restores this missing content, bringing it back into the hands of players once again.
Insomnia Was Originally Meant to Be Explorable
Initial findings suggest that Insomnia was originally designed to be fully explorable in its normal, peaceful state. Through data mining, the modders uncovered hidden files containing quests and NPC dialogue tied to the city from the very beginning of the game. Had this content not been cut, it would have served as a prelude to the main storyline and may have functioned as a tutorial, as the quests relied heavily on teaching players character commands and gameplay systems.
A Continued Effort to Revive Insomnia
This is not the first attempt by fans to revive Insomnia. Previously, the World of Eos team released footage of an Insomnia mod after discovering that console players who launched the game during installation—while the game was in a “Ready to Play” state could access a special training map. By glitching through invisible barriers, players found that the city’s buildings and structures had already been fully rendered but were blocked off by unseen walls preventing closer exploration.
About Final Fantasy XV
Final Fantasy XV is a JRPG that blends real-time action combat with role-playing elements, following the journey of Prince Noctis and his loyal companions as they set out on a royal mission that soon escalates into a world-shaping conflict. The game is currently available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Console versions receive graphical and frame rate upgrades when played on next-generation hardware. The title also features extensive additional story content, and 2026 will mark the game’s 10th anniversary.
