The Xbox platform has traditionally had a problem with securing games from Japanese developers, but this wasn’t always the case. During the Xbox 360 generation, Microsoft managed to strike several deals for exclusive Japanese titles, and it even got the legendary Final Fantasy series to appear on Xbox for the first time. Unfortunately, things haven’t been smooth sailing from there. Final Fantasy XIV is the ever-popular MMORPG that has found massive success on PC and PlayStation platforms but has still never arrived on Xbox. The boss of Xbox, Phil Spencer, still believes that it’s possible.
This isn’t the first time that Spencer has talked about his desire to bring the Square-Enix MMO to Xbox. Back in 2019, he said as much during the XO19 event, but there has been no further confirmation of the game being ported.
In a new interview with Game Watch, Spencer broached the subject again. “Naturally, we haven’t given up yet. This is a commitment from both Microsoft and Square Enix to gamers and we will continue to coordinate our efforts.”
Final Fantasy XIV was initially released in 2010 but to poor reception. The game received a new version known as Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn in 2013, which managed to significantly improve upon the original version. The game is developed and published by Square-Enix and is directed by Naoki Yoshida, also known by his community nickname as Yoshi-P. Ever since then, the game has moved from success story to success story thanks to a continual string of positively received expansions. These expansions include Heavensward which was released in 2015, Stormblood in 2017, Shadowbringers in 2019, and Endwalker in 2021.
Before the release of the Endwalker expansion, Yoshi-P talked about the current state of a potential Xbox port. In an interview with Easy Allies, he discussed the future. “I feel bad for saying the same thing every time, but we are still in discussions with Microsoft, and I feel like our conversations are going in a positive-like tone.” He went on to say that the team did not have an Xbox version but he hoped that “the timing will be very soon.” Spencer and the Xbox team are adamant about bringing more Japanese support to Xbox, but we’ll have to wait and see if Final Fantasy XIV is included in that.
Unfortunately for Xbox owners, Final Fantasy XIV is not the only game in the series that hasn’t made its way to the platform. Final Fantasy VII Remake, despite rumors of being a timed exclusive, is still console-exclusive to PlayStation platforms to this day. Additionally, the latest mainline entry in the series, Final Fantasy XVI, looks to be console exclusive to the PlayStation 5 when it eventually releases. Finally, while it isn’t a Final Fantasy title, Square-Enix is also developing a new action game called Forspoken, which is also not going to release on Xbox.
