One of the main concepts behind Final Fantasy XV is that it's a "fantasy based in reality," and that concept seems to be relevant even for monster design and animation, as revealed by a new career opportunity ad posted by Square Enix and seeking an Animator.

The ad requires the chosen candidate to create and animate monsters with an eye focused on actual ecology, in order for them not to be just "enemies," but also actual "creatures" of the Final Fantasy XV world.

The text continues by explaining that fantasy games in Japan compared to those released in the west place particular importance on monsters. While Square Enix has already focused on monsters in the previous Final Fantasy games, doing so while being aware of ecology will allow Final Fantasy XV not to be just an ordinary fantasy game, but one rooted in the world.

The ad concludes by mentioning that in order to give this sense of something that actually exists, a large animation work is necessary, encouraging candidates to join to create monsters that gamers will remember.

Hajime Tabata's hand, which was already seen in the shift towards a degree of gritty realism in Final Fantasy Type-0 seems to be at work here as well.

Most Final Fantasy monsters have never been very realistic, often steering towards the cutesy and quirky. It'll be interesting to see just how realistic the creatures in Final Fantasy XV will be.