The rosy relationship between Square Enix and Sony on the PS5 might be at its end, with the company confirming it will drop exclusivity and plans to release AAA titles on Nintendo, Xbox, and PC moving forward.
Final Fantasy 16 and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth both launched to reportedly strong sales and positive reviews. Despite that, Square Enix’s last fiscal year is going down as a complete disaster. This was demonstrated when the company announced a “Notification of Recognition of Extraordinary Losses” totaling over $140 million in abandonment losses.
The company indicated that major changes were coming at both the macro and micro levels. This plans to redouble efforts on its biggest IPs and, ideally, avoid releasing games that flop out of the gate like the recently released FoamStars. But in its “medium-term business plan” released on May 13, 2024, the company outlined plans to move away from PlayStation exclusivity.
Square Enix plans to go multi-platform for major releases
Square Enix indicated that it will drop exclusivity for its biggest video games moving forward, in favor of releases on all major platforms.
The company outlined plans to “diversify earnings opportunities by strengthening customer contact points.” More specifically, the company says it intends to “aggressively pursue” releasing its biggest titles on PC, as well as Nintendo, PlayStation, and Xbox consoles. Square Enix did not cite any specific reason for this decision, but its difficult fiscal year came after a calendar comprised of PlayStation exclusives.
Final Fantasy 16 and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth were both lauded by those who played them, but the games being exclusive to PlayStation 5 may have harmed their reach. It’s impossible to say how the games would have performed if they were released on all major platforms. In 2023, the company cited the PlayStation 5’s smaller user base than the PlayStation 4 as a major reason for it not meeting revenue expectations.
Square Enix has historically bounced between releasing games on multiple platforms and releasing exclusives. Games including Final Fantasy 15 and Octopath Traveler 2 were released on multiple platforms simultaneously.
Will Final Fantasy 16 and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth come out on Xbox or Nintendo?
Square Enix’s announcement of prioritizing multi-platform releases did not include specific plans for any existing games.
A major topic of discussion regarding both major Final Fantasy releases during the most recent fiscal year for Square Enix was their PS5 exclusivity window. FF16 was set to be exclusive for one year while FF7 Rebirth was oddly only exclusive for three months. Neither game has been ported to another console.
In the short and medium term, it’s unclear how aggressive Square Enix will be on that front or how consistent it will be. Octopath Traveler 2 and SaGa: Emerald Beyond both passed on Xbox consoles, despite launching on everything else. The company has included Xbox consoles in the releases of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion and Star Ocean: The Divine Force.
In the long term, Xbox, Nintendo, and PC gamers have good cause for hope regarding upcoming games like Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3.
