We have an interesting new rumor about Final Fantasy 16.
When it first released on the PlayStation 5 last June 2023, a lot of the hype around it was how the game was made around the console’s SSD and the fast load speeds that it had. As the next big game in the franchise, it proved to be popular at launch, selling three million units in the first week, but ultimately failing to meet expectations.
Square Enix has been reticent in telling the public about the game’s latest sales figure, and what the company’s actual sales goals were. But the company suffered severe drops in their share price after revealing that sales did not meet those expectations.
It was also worth noting that its predecessor Final Fantasy XV, which released on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows, would go on to sell ten million units. This game is one of the best-selling titles in the franchise’s history, and set high standards for the latest title.
Apparently, Square Enix was locked out by their contract from so much as talking about the upcoming Windows port of Final Fantasy 16. Based on their statements, they may have only just started working on it. If the precedent set by Final Fantasy XV comes true, it won’t take until at least 2025 for the Windows port to get released.
But now, things could be much different.
As reported by XboxEra, NateDrake posted on ResetEra that:
“FF16 on Xbox is going to happen. Just waiting for Square to announce it.”
If the earlier rumors are true, then Square Enix is likely not allowed to talk about bringing Final Fantasy 16 to Xbox because of provisions in their contract with Sony, that can’t be or have not been publicly disclosed. But it’s no surprise if Square Enix is already working, or at least intend to, bring Final Fantasy 16 to Xbox.
Earlier this year, after reporting their other PlayStation 5 exclusives also failed to meet expectations, Square Enix revealed that they would be pivoting their strategy. This was not just to make their previous exclusives multiplatform, but they also stopped experimenting and taking risks with new ideas, and are focusing on their core franchises. \
Bringing Final Fantasy 16 to Xbox and PC really only brings the game in line with Final Fantasy XV. We doubt that Square Enix expect Final Fantasy 16 to now also be one of the best-selling games in the franchise, but the hope will be that it brings the game closer to breaking even, if it doesn’t finally meet those expectations. That would mean exceeding the costs of making the game, and also going beyond that, for the game to have safely made more money than Square Enix would have, if Final Fantasy 16 stayed in the stock market to accrue there.
Don’t expect Square Enix to confirm this anytime soon at all. But if there’s anything they can do to ensure that Final Fantasy 16 is a success on Xbox, it would be to pass on Xbox Series X|S and wait on the next generation of Xbox consoles, to make a visibly improved version of the game there. If that’s what they’re planning, they may already have the dev kits for Xbox’s next console to do it.
