Earlier this year, a report surfaced that Square Enix was planning on bringing 2023’s action-RPG, Final Fantasy XVI, to Xbox Series X/S. It’s been months since we’ve heard any updates about this port but according to a new report, the Xbox version is still coming. It’s only a matter of time until Square Enix announces it.
Final Fantasy XVI initially launched as a PS5 exclusive last year, much to the dismay of Final Fantasy fans on different platforms. The game took a decidedly different direction in regards to the franchise’s combat, exploration and story, telling a more mature narrative with a lot of emphasis placed on fast-paced action and epic set pieces. It was fairly well-received at launch and went on to be nominated in several categories at The Game Awards last year.
NateTheHate, a leaker who has a decent track record industry leaks, now claims that Square Enix is still actively working on an Xbox version of Final Fantasy XVI. This echoes a similar sentiment shared by XboxEra which originally reported on the port back in January.
This aligns with Square Enix’s new strategy to take most of its AAA games multiplatform going forward. It’s a necessary move as the company was seemingly unhappy with the “disappointing” sales of games like Final Fantasy XVI and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth – both of which failed to perform to the publisher’s expectations, though Square Enix later clarified that Final Fantasy XVI‘s sales were “in line” with its expectations.
It remains to be seen if the ambitious Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy will be released outside of PlayStation in the future. It’s currently tied as a PlayStation exclusive, which makes sense considering that the original game also launched as a PS1 exclusive (before finding its way to other platforms through remasters and re-releases).
Source: NateTheHate (via XboxEra)
