Final Fantasy Games On Xbox Just Got A Whole Lot More Likely

Summary Xbox fans may soon see more Final Fantasy games on their console as Square Enix shifts to a multiplatform strategy.

Final Fantasy VII Remake and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth could potentially become available on Xbox in the future.

The success of Final Fantasy XIV on Xbox Game Pass suggests a promising future for the franchise on Microsoft's console.

Final Fantasy fans on Xbox may be in luck because publisher Square Enix is actively looking at bringing more of the franchise's games to Microsoft's console. It's a long-standing tradition, started in 1997 with the release of Final Fantasy VII, that Final Fantasy generally launches on PlayStation devices originally before eventually being ported to other systems. It's been a point of frustration amongst Xbox users and while some of the modern games did end up on the Xbox 360 and Xbox One, recent entries have been locked to either PlayStation 5 or PC.

Per GameIndustry.biz, that may be about to change as Square Enix is attempting to pivot its business model to an "aggressive multiplatform strategy" following what it deemed to be a lackluster financial year where many of its AAA titles did not "live up to profit expectations." To counteract this, many of the publisher's future releases will be available across multiple systems, including "Nintendo platforms, PlayStation, Xbox, and PCs." Whether or not the PlayStation 5 exclusivity of Final Fantasy 16 and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth played a role in this switch is unknown but it seems possible given the adjustment.

Related 10 Ways FF7 Rebirth Is Better Than Final Fantasy 7 Remake FF7 Rebirth targets a lot of problems that were present in FF7 Remake, and tallying up some of the biggest improvements shows just how much changed.

Final Fantasy VII On Xbox?

It's Not Impossible...

Custom Image by Katarina Cimbaljevic

Arguably Square-Enix's biggest franchise at the moment is Final Fantasy VII bolstered by the so-called Remake Trilogy which began in 2020 with the appropriately titled Final Fantasy VII Remake. While Cloud Strife's adventure across The Planet has long been associated with PlayStation, having been exclusive to the PlayStation One when the original launched over two decades ago, it seems more likely than ever that they could soon be available on Xbox. Remake is already on PC and it's expected that Rebirth will follow suit after the PS5 exclusivity window comes to an end.

It's also worth noting that Final Fantasy has been making some recent attempts to infiltrate the Xbox system thanks to the addition of Final Fantasy XIV to Xbox Game Pass. While it introduced a system-specific currency simply called "FFXIV Coins," its release on Microsoft's console has been praised for being a relatively smooth port that still offers players everything they've come to expect from the MMO. Whether this served as a trial run for future Final Fantasy games is unclear but if it was, its success is promising.

It's worth noting that Final Fantasy hasn't always completely avoided Xbox as most of the franchise's older games, including the original Final Fantasy VII, are available on the system. Aside from XIV, the last title to release on Xbox was Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII - Reunion, which is curious since neither Remake nor Rebirth are available on Xbox. Fans will just have to hold out hope that Square Enix's multiplatform approach corrects this.

Source: GameIndustry.biz