Highlights
- Xbox head Phil Spencer has addressed the possibility of Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Final Fantasy 16 coming to Xbox consoles in the future.
- While many big Final Fantasy titles have been exclusive to PlayStation, recent entries like Final Fantasy 13 and Final Fantasy 15 have also been released on Xbox consoles.
- Nothing is official yet, but it's possible the games could come to Xbox at some point down the line.
Xbox head Phil Spencer recently weighed in on the possibility of Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Final Fantasy 16 eventually crossing over to his company’s consoles. Final Fantasy 7 Remake launched on the PlayStation 4 in 2020 and retold the opening chapters of the beloved 1997 original to much success. Almost three years later, Final Fantasy 16 arrived on the PlayStation 5 and took the long-running JRPG franchise in a gritter, more action-focused direction with a brutal tale of revenge and redemption in a grim, Game of Thrones-inspired medieval world.
While both hit Final Fantasy titles were exclusive to PlayStation hardware when they first launched, they are bound for other hardware. Final Fantasy 7 Remake was given a PC port for Steam in December 2021, just a few months after its updated Intergrade version was launched for the PS5. Meanwhile, Final Fantasy 16 is still exclusive to the PS5 for the moment, but Square Enix has promised a PC port.
With Final Fantasy’s latest two blockbusters branching out from their PlayStation roots, some have started to wonder if Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Final Fantasy 16 will make their way to Xbox someday. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer himself recently addressed the possibility during an interview with IGN at Gamescom 2023, and while he didn’t confirm anything, he didn’t shoot down the idea either. He said that he and fellow Microsoft executive Sarah Bond often fly to Tokyo for conversations with publishers like Square Enix, and they have had discussions with Final Fantasy 16 director Naoki Yoshida about releasing titles on Xbox.
Spencer didn’t go into further detail, and his answer likely had more to do with Final Fantasy 14’s already-confirmed Xbox launch next year than anything else. Still, the idea of at least Final Fantasy 7 Remake coming to Xbox was recently floated around thanks to a screenshot of the game appearing in a Brazilin Xbox Game Pass ad celebrating the country’s Father’s Day. However, this was later revealed to be a mistake on the part of Xbox’s marketing team. Still, the erroneous ad sparked brief excitement in players hoping that the latest Final Fantasy games will make their way to Xbox consoles someday.
Final Fantasy has had deep roots with PlayStation ever since the original Final Fantasy 7 was released back in 1997, but entries like Final Fantasy 13 and Final Fantasy 15 have been released on Xbox consoles in the past. While Phil Spencer hasn’t confirmed that the last two major Final Fantasy games are headed to Xbox, the fact that conversations are being held between his company and Square Enix is a promising sign for Xbox owners hoping to play them on the Series X/S eventually.
Source: IGN