Ariana Grande excluded from Final Fantasy Resonance remake

Square Enix has announced that pop star Ariana Grande will not appear in Final Fantasy Resonance, the upcoming HD2D remake of the mobile game Final Fantasy Brave Exvius. The decision was confirmed by producer Keisuke Nakashima, who explained that the team curated a specific list of characters from the franchise's history to fit the game's established tone and balance. Final Fantasy Resonance is a retooling of Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, a gacha game that Square Enix shut down in 2024. The original mobile title featured guest appearances from real pop stars, including Grande, Katy Perry, and Addison Rae, as summonable units. However, for Resonance, the development team at Square Enix's Team Asano has taken a different approach. Nakashima stated that the team selected a curated roster of "Visions," or assist characters from previous Final Fantasy games, rather than bringing back the over 2,000 characters present when Brave Exvius was discontinued. When deciding which characters would make the cut, Nakashima said the team evaluated abilities, balance, and personality.