The exclusivity is over – or at least it looks that way. Final Fantasy 16, which once started as a PS5 exclusive, has now made the leap to PC, and if the latest rumors are to be believed, the Xbox Series X/S is next.
The well-known leaker NateTheHate claims on ResetEra that Square Enix made the announcement for Final Fantasy 16 will soon be released on Xbox – with a planned release in spring 2025. That alone would be a minor sensation, but it gets even better: Allegedly, Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth also for Xbox and even the Nintendo Switch 2 appear.
What's the truth behind the rumors?
NateTheHate is no stranger to the scene and has often been right with his predictions. According to him, Final Fantasy 7 Remake already released for Xbox by the end of 2025, while Rebirth sometime in 2026. While that sounds great for Xbox players, there's a slight disappointment for Switch fans: While the remake and Rebirth The details of what is supposedly planned for the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 remain unclear. Final Fantasy 16 probably left out.
But why? Does Square Enix simply not want to port the title to the new Nintendo console? Or is it ultimately a question of hardware power? The fact is: there's no official confirmation, and until then, it all remains pure speculation.
Strategy or chaos?
Square Enix's release strategy now seems a bit chaotic. While PlayStation players could be sure for years that the big titles would be released soon, the company's approach has been somewhat chaotic lately. final FantasyWhile the publisher seems to be taking a different approach – presumably to maximize its financial returns – or as the publisher puts it, to make the series more profitable so that it can continue.
Should the rumor prove true, it would be a real boon for Xbox players. Until the official announcement, there's only one thing to do: wait and hope that Square Enix reveals all its cards soon.
Final Fantasy 16 It's currently available for PS5 and PC. An Xbox version? Maybe as early as 2025.
I'm curious how many games will sell on Xbox. I'm still convinced that the reason for the low sales isn't that, but rather the direction Final Fantasy is taking, or perhaps Square Enix themselves don't know what makes a Final Fantasy game. For me, Final Fantasy XVI is still a DMC clone with a Final Fantasy license and a boring story and main character. Final Fantasy VII Remakes obviously have a problem being split into three games. I can imagine many people are simply waiting until the trilogy is complete before playing it. What both games clearly have is balancing. Final Fantasy XVI is the easiest Final Fantasy I've ever played, and Final Fantasy VII Remakes are comparatively far too difficult, especially considering you have to complete it on hard difficulty to max out the characters. While that might not be a problem for some—some people enjoy the challenge—I wonder why the ATB mode isn't available on hard difficulty? You're essentially forced to play in Action Mode on hard difficulty to unlock everything, and that could be the reason why many people aren't buying the game. It's simply a completely different game, even though they tried to stay very close to the original. The story is the same; the logic doesn't make sense to me at all. It just unnecessarily complicates the plot and drags it out because you have to stretch the game out to reach 80 hours per installment... ah yes, Square.