No one expected the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy to happen, so it’s important not to lose hope for an Xbox port of the same games.
- A trailer for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth hinted at its availability outside of the PlayStation 5 by late 2024, sparking discussions about a potential Xbox port.
- Financially, broadening to Xbox could benefit Square Enix, as Final Fantasy XV saw significant sales on the platform.
- The fate of these games on Xbox remains uncertain, with decisions pending from industry leaders.
Most people don’t connect Square Enix’s Xbox platform with its best-selling Final Fantasy brand. In actuality, not many of the franchise’s titles are playable on Microsoft‘s gaming platforms. You can only imagine how taken aback the public was when Final Fantasy 15 was released on many platforms at launch in 2016. Regretfully, that never occurred again. Fans are still wondering, though, especially in light of the release of the most recent Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth trailer.
Square Enix teased that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will be coming on platforms other than the PlayStation 5 as early as in the second half of 2024, in addition to the game’s release date of February 29, 2024.
Although many argue that Square Enix is probably teasing the PC version of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, it’s reasonable to speculate about the possibility of an Xbox port as well.
Xbox CEO Phil Spencer recently discussed the issue in an interview with IGN at Gamescom 2023. The interview touched on the subject of potential future Final Fantasy games on Xbox, even though the main topic of discussion was Spencer’s statement that the MMO Final Fantasy 14 will be ported to the Xbox Series S/X platforms. Retaining his air of mystery, Spencer avoided giving any firm answers. He did, however, encourage followers to “hear more” in the not-too-distant future and gave a tantalizing hint that updates on this subject might be forthcoming.
Microsoft later refuted rumors that the Final Fantasy 7 remake would release at roughly the same time on the Xbox Series S/X.
Naturally, nobody anticipated that Final Fantasy 14 would be ported to the Xbox last month. Who’s to say that the two businesses won’t shake hands on a comparable agreement in the near future?
With just a few days left in September, everyone’s attention is now focused on the Tokyo Game Show, which is set to begin on September 21. The two titans of gaming will be present. This has increased the likelihood that the two will discuss the possible release of Final Fantasy games on the Xbox, particularly Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Final Fantasy 16, and the much awaited Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.
Even so, it’s still difficult to predict how these talks will turn out given how unpredictable the gaming industry can be.
Without its predecessor, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, there is little likelihood that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will be released on Xbox. There is a workaround, though. Square Enix has previously announced that it will be releasing a PS5 package that includes both of the Final Fantasy Remake trilogy’s games. Why can’t the corporation release the identical product on the Xbox platform?
On the other hand, even if Square Enix decides to release the games on Xbox, the change may not occur right away due to possible complications with agreements and exclusivity commitments.
TLDR: Although not anytime soon, Square Enix may eventually bring Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth on the Xbox platform.
The financial aspect of these conversations is unavoidable, particularly in light of Square Enix’s current situation. Making analogies to the past, Final Fantasy XV demonstrated remarkable sales numbers, having sold 5 million copies in a single day. Nevertheless, even after Square Enix had used a variety of aggressive sales tactics, it took a lot longer to double this amount. The same game outsold the Final Fantasy 7 Remake in significantly less time in terms of total sales within a certain time period.
Even if we believe that the Xbox One accounted for only 20% of FF15’s sales, Square Enix is willfully overlooking a sizable portion of the market. The earnings and share price of Square Enix may rise as a result of these gains.
Whether Final Fantasy 16 or Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will make it to the Xbox is still up in the air. In the best-case scenario, Square Enix is merely biding its time. To determine if the statistics still make sense, it might try experimenting with FF14. Video game creation is not inexpensive, after all. Square Enix must determine whether the potential profit from game porting to many systems justifies the additional expenses and hazards associated with developing games for numerous platforms.
Finally, even if guesswork and forecasts abound, moguls have the final say over the direction these cherished games will go in the future.