If there is one game that has caused a lot of discussion during the last generation of consoles, it is Final Fantasy VII Remake. Although initially a PlayStation 4 exclusive, many hoped to be able to play it on Xbox One once the one-year exclusivity passed. Unfortunately, that was never the case and many are hoping that the scenario will be different for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.
The case for Final Fantasy VII Remake available on PlayStation and PC, but not Xbox
Available since April 10, 2020 on PlayStation 4 and then having made a tour on PC and PlayStation 5 through the Intergrade version, Final Fantasy VII Remake has still not made a tour on the side of the American manufacturer Microsoft.
Advertisement
If Xbox players are afraid that the same pattern will happen again with the sequel to the game, namely Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Square Enix had nevertheless given a small glimmer of hope through a trailer unveiled in 2023 and which mentioned that the title could arrive on other platforms after May 29, 2024. It is therefore technically possible for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth to be released on Xbox and PC three months after the PS5 release, but when we see how close Square Enix is to PlayStation on this license, there is a good chance that the exclusivity will arrive on PC, but much less on Xbox.
Although this three-month exclusivity period seems very short, that does not mean that the game will be available on Xbox Series X|S and PC from this date. You will certainly have to wait a little longer, as was the case with Final Fantasy VII Remake on PC. However, there is no point in declaring victory too early, absolutely nothing indicates any arrival on other platforms, it is only a possibility.
The Washington Post sows doubt about Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
While waiting to know if Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will be released on Xbox, the Washington Post recently sowed doubt about the content of exclusivity in an interview with Christian Svensson, vice president of third-party content and initiatives strategies at Sony Interactive Entertainment. While the media initially mentioned an “exclusive Final Fantasy VII trilogy on PlayStation”, journalist Gene Park then changed his mind.
It was a mistake on my part to write the sentence like that. The entire FFVII trilogy is NOT yet confirmed to be a Sony exclusive. The article has been edited to only mention Remake and Rebirth.
Indeed, the article mentions the games FF7 Remake and FF7 Rebirth as PlayStation exclusives. Christian Svensson also explained why Final Fantasy was a franchise closely linked to the Sony brand.
Advertisement
Back in the same console generation as the original PlayStation, Sony Computer Entertainment had few franchises of its own, and to find its place in a very competitive video game industry, we sought to win the hearts and minds of key third-party developers such as Square
The emphasis on third-party partnerships – releasing games made by outside studios – is ingrained in our DNA to this day and is directly linked to how we worked together on 'Final Fantasy VII Rebirth '.
Better relations between Xbox and Square Enix
If for several years Square Enix has not seemed to be Xbox's best ally, Phil Spencer recently declared that he wanted to improve his relations with the Japanese publisher. Indeed, the Japanese firm has developed numerous titles that never arrived on Xbox, such as Final Fantasy VII Remake, Forspoken or even Final Fantasy XVI more recently.
However, it seems that the boss of Xbox is indeed doing what is necessary to improve relations with Square Enix, as evidenced by the arrival of Final Fantasy XIV on Xbox Series X|S, thus opening the way to new possibilities with the editor.
The new Japanese CEO has also affirmed his desire to “welcome the Xbox community” to other games “whenever possible”.
We can therefore hope that the fate of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will be different from that of Final Fantasy VII Remake, although nothing is won yet.