Are Xbox console owners about to say goodbye to any new episode of Final Fantasy games in this generation? In any case, says Jordan Middler, journalist for VGC.
It all started over 30 years ago
Final Fantasy on our PCs and home consoles, it’s a story that has lasted since 1987. For almost a decade, games in the franchise were considered exclusive to the Nintendo brand (Final Fantasy I to VI being released on machines manufacturer).
The development of Final Fantasy VII had even started on Super Nintendo, until differences with the Japanese firm led Square Enix to choose Sony and its PlayStation as their new home.
Over the years, things have changed a bit. Final Fantasy XIII was for example released on Xbox 360 in the same way as Final Fantasy XV on Xbox One, while the old games can be found today on the stores of Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft.
Obviously, Sony has always had priority on the subject, even if the owners of competing consoles also ended up winning their case. But in this kind of story, there is always a “but”.
Square would definitely have chosen Sony for the future of Final Fantasy
According to the journalist Jordan Middler of the VGC site, Square Enix has reportedly decided to stop infidelity at Sony by making the new Final Fantasy games exclusive to PlayStation for a long time to come. Here is what he says:
Most of the Square stuff will end up on Xbox, but I wouldn’t have any hopes for Final Fantasy unless something changes. Sony wants PlayStation to be the home of Final Fantasy on this generation. Final Fantasy VII should already have arrived on Xbox by now, but this is where we are today …
The reporter added that Square Enix was clearly on Sony’s side, and even more than what is being said publicly. In this context, Final Fantasy XVI would therefore never see the light of day on Microsoft’s ecosystems, although hope lasts as long as nothing has been made official. We can also note that Final Fantasy VII Remake is still not available on Xbox after its PlayStation Exclusive period has expired.
On the other hand, we can reasonably assume that Final Fantasy XVI will make itself available on our computers at one point. The very first trailer for the game also cited the platform before the mention was finally withdrawn, and the journalist specifies that Square Enix still intends to bring its games to the PC.
Note that this rumor only concerns the main episodes of the franchise. Nothing indicates that it would be the same for future additional opus. Moreover, Stranger of Paradise : Final Fantasy Origin is well scheduled for March 22 on Xbox One, Xbox Series X | S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and PC.