In the wake of September’s PS5 event, Sony’s had some marketing issues with defining the exclusivity of upcoming titles. It’s been an issue with theDemon’s Souls Remakesupposedly coming to PC, and then all of a sudden not coming to PC. The same thing could happen toFinal Fantasy 16, which was never confirmed for other platforms officially, but has also had any mention of the PC taken off its initial reveal trailer as well. For now, the short answer ofFinal Fantasy 16coming to Xbox Series X is definitely no, but it’s unclear if that will change.
Timed exclusives on console certainly aren’t anything new, especially for Sony, who’s use of exclusives was one of many factors that dictated the PS4’s success. In the past,Final Fantasygames have been timed exclusives from not only additional consoles but PC as well. As far back asFinal Fantasy 7, various entries in the franchise have been PlayStation exclusive for a long time. Now, asFinal Fantasy 16gears up for the PS5, it seems PlayStation is back to their old exclusive tricks for PS5. Unfortunately, that’s at the detriment ofFinal Fantasyfans getting an Xbox this holiday.
Final Fantasy’s PlayStation Exclusivity Returns, Sort Of
From the beginning,Final Fantasy 16was announced as a “PlayStation console exclusive,“whilst also providing an addendum in fine print that the game would be “also available on PC.” Sony has mentioned previously that the company would explore porting or releasing first-party titles on PC more often, but that was without mention of any third-party games they acquire exclusivity over. In the case ofFinal Fantasy 16, it seems that console exclusivity shares the same deal asFinal Fantasy 7 Remake. PreviousFinal Fantasygames have not shown any hesitance to the PC or Xbox Series X previously, so a timed-exclusive makes the most sense here.
Notwithstanding Square Enix’s ability to develop and port the games to other platforms,Final Fantasy 16will likely be PS5 exclusive for at least a year. For Xbox fans, that translates to at least a year of hang time between the game’s release on PS5 to Xbox Series X. April 2021 will almost certainly prove this,assumingFinal Fantasy 7 Remakeis finally released on PC and Xbox Series Xas well. Plenty ofFinal Fantasy 7 Remake’s promotional material was shown running on a PC emulation of the PS4 build of the game, which was the same case withFinal Fantasy 16’s trailer too.
Mixed Messages from Final Fantasy 16’s Trailer
However, somerecent changes toFinal Fantasy 16’s trailerhave muddied up the situation by a bit. During the PS5’s September showcase, the initialFinal Fantasy 16reveal stated the game would also be available on PC. Days later, just like withDemon’s Souls, several of the updated high-resolution trailers removed the “console exclusive” phrasing and simply stated thatFinal Fantasy 16would “not [be] available on other platforms for a limited time after release on PS5.” Evidently, this exclusivity now seems to encompass PC, whereas before the wording was vague enough to the point that people assumed that wouldn’t be the case.
Obviously this has created a lot of confusion on the timing of exclusivity, a lot of which doesn’t have a straight answer. Square Enix’s only official statement on the matter was that the publisher would not discuss anything related toFinal Fantasy 16on consoles other than PS5. It’s no confirmation, but it does mean that the Xbox Series X version of the game could be ways away. For context,the previous gameFinal Fantasy 15had a simultaneous release on PS4 and Xbox One, with the only delay being on the PC port of the game. There’s still been no official word onFinal Fantasy 7 Remake’s release on other platforms, but timed-exclusivity generally means no talk of other platforms either.
Unnecessary Confusion Over Final Fantasy 16’s Release
Unfortunately, aside from arguing the benefits and drawbacks of exclusive games, the big problem here is just the lack of communication. Or more accurately, the various examples of miscommunication. BasicallyanyFinal Fantasyfans doesn’t need longbefore they can assume the game will be PlayStation exclusive for now, but Sony’s and Square Enix’s response to the situation makes no sense. If anyone can assume what any of this timed-exclusive business means, why are Sony and Square Enix beating around the bush?
Things would’ve been a lot smoother if the messaging was just made clearer. State thatFinal Fantasy 16is a PS5 timed-exclusive, and then move on. Unless the terms have been re-negotiated, which the “limited time after release on PS5” phrasing doesn’t seem to infer, then there’s no reason to make things a mystery for PC or Xbox players. Leaving fans in the dark like this leads to assumptions and a lot of impatience, especially for those who maystill be waiting for aFinal Fantasy 7 Remakeon PCor Xbox. For now, it’s safe to assumeFinal Fantasy 16will probably be exclusive to PS5 for a year before the Xbox Series X version releases.
Final Fantasy 16is in development as a timed-exclusive for PS5.
MORE:Final Fantasy 16’s Combat Could Be the Perfect Marriage of FF7 Remake and FF15
