Final Fantasy XVI, Final Fantasy VII Remake, and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth are all timed PlayStation exclusives, but they may never make it to Xbox, as exclusivity for Square Enix titles is apparently going to get worse in the future.
On the ResetERA forums, Head on the Block, who was previously known as I’m a Hero Too and provided correct information regarding a variety of Japanese titles, recently commented on the PlayStation, and Square Enix exclusivity deals, saying they are about to get much, much worse. While it is unlikely the insider may be referring to a possible acquisition of the Final Fantasy series publisher, as something like this would never leak in this manner, it definitely sounds like the relationship between the two companies will only get tighter.
If this will be the case, it will be extremely disappointing for Xbox players, as they will be forced to get a PlayStation console, or a gaming PC, to enjoy titles like Final Fantasy XVI. The announcement of Final Fantasy XIV for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S after years of PlayStation console exclusivity seemed to mark a change in the publisher’s stance on exclusivity, but it seems like many of the publisher’s biggest titles may never make it on Microsoft’s consoles.
Meanwhile, work on the PC version of Final Fantasy XVI is continuing. According to Producer Naoki Yoshida, an SSD may be required to play the game, as no amount of optimization may overcome the hardware barrier of a mechanical drive.