The question of exclusivity versus multiplatform releases has always been an intense one to discuss within the gaming community. On the business side, it makes sense to keep some things “locked in” to one platform and maybe release them to others later so that the developer can build up a relationship with a publisher and get more games made for them. However, for some, releasing to all platforms helps potentially ensure that more gamers have access to it and, thus, gets more sales. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth remains a PS5 exclusive for now, but its director definitely wants it on other platforms, including the Xbox Series X.
Specifically, co-director Naoki Hamaguchi talked with GamesRadar about the title, and he admitted that he wants to see the whole remake trilogy on other platforms:
“In terms of Final Fantasy VII, there’s nothing really we can say at the moment, but certainly I do want to bring Final Fantasy VII and the Remake series to as many players out there as possible. So we want to create that situation, that environment, where more players can play the games in future, and we want to look in that direction.”
That’s not a shock to hear, honestly, as Square Enix has taken major losses recently, including with the release of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and the 16th mainline entry that was released last year. Both were supposed to be “super best-sellers,” and yet that wasn’t the case. One entry barely made sales expectations in general, while the second part of the remake saga didn’t even sell as much as the first entry in the line.
Thus, bringing the games to more platforms is essential to getting better sales. That brings us to Xbox, which Hamaguchi had some interesting praise for:
“This is just a personal opinion now, but I’ve got an Xbox myself. I think it’s a great hardware platform. I do like Xbox.”
Square Enix has been trying to bring more of its games to Xbox in recent times, including releasing some of its other RPGs on it and dropping its MMO in 2024. The irony here is that the Xbox is rather infamous for not only failing to gain ground in Japan in any appreciable way but not really being an “RPG hub,” unlike consoles like the Switch.
One has to wonder what porting the remake saga to the Xbox would honestly do for its numbers. We won’t know, though, until it happens.
