One of the biggest debates that continue to rage in video games is the concept of exclusivity. In some people’s minds, certain games shouldn’t be exclusives if they can run well on other platforms. Granted, there are exceptions, like games made specifically by the publisher for their system. That’s why many are ok with the many Nintendo properties remaining on consoles. However, when it comes to something like Final Fantasy 16, that’s when things get murky. The franchise has been on multiple consoles and PC over the years. But with the upcoming entry, it’ll solely be on PS5 for some time. Why is that?
The answer might not be what you’re expecting. In a chat with 4Gamer, producer Naoki Yoshida noted that the biggest reason for the PS5 exclusivity is that Sony has been helping the Square Enix team make the game. Moreover, they’ve been helping the team make it work to the best of their ability on the PS5. Something that lines up with how great the game looks in recent gameplay trailers and previews. Additionally, Sony is helping take the burden off of Square Enix on the marketing side. Instead, Sony is doing the bulk of that, which allows the Square Enix squad to focus on game development.
Yoshida was fine with that because they wanted to make Final Fantasy 16 the best game possible, and being able to focus solely on the game would allow that.
As you may know, the game won’t be on PS5 alone forever. The PC version of the game will happen. It’s just going to take a little longer than originally expected. As for whether it could come to the Xbox Series X/S, Yoshida wouldn’t say. If we were to guess, it might be a bit complicated due to the team working so hard on the PS5 version and getting it attuned to that console. Porting it to a different console with different hardware could take quite a long time. That’s another reason some developers are fine with exclusivity. They know that the more systems they bring the game to, the harder they’ll have to work to ensure it works on every single one.
For those who do have a PS5, you have much to look forward to. The game appears to be like no other title in the franchise before it. The team also confirmed that a few weeks before the release, there would be a demo you can try! So there’s much to be excited about.
