Square Enix may be changing their tune about keeping Final Fantasy games exclusive to one console.
In an interview with IGN Brasil, Naoki Hamaguchi, director of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and Yoshinori Kitase, producer of the Final Fantasy franchise, discussed the controversy surrounding the two most recent entries in the iconic series, which led to disappointing sales results.
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While exact sales figures for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth have not been revealed, Kitase said that the game was one of the best-selling games for PlayStation 5 this year, alongside Black Myth: Wukong and Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.
Still, we know that the game hasn’t been able to meet the lofty expectations of its predecessor, which sold 3.5 million units in its first three days. Of course, Final Fantasy 7 Remake had the benefit of releasing on the PlayStation 4, a console with a much longer customer base than the PS5, during the COVID-19 lockdown.
As a result, Square Enix is admitting that the days of releasing games on one console are over. “While we are confident and happy that we are reaching a certain level of sales, it is clear that with the modernity of games, we cannot be exclusive to a single platform,” Kitase commented. “I think we need to offer the game to as many players as possible.”
Square Enix is Following An Industry Trend to Ditch Console Exclusives
Square isn’t the first company to acknowledge the importance of releasing games on multiple platforms.
Microsoft is reportedly embracing a strategy of releasing their first-party games on competing consoles. Games like The Outer Wilds 2, Indiana Jones and the Golden Circle, and even Halo are expected to be released on a PlayStation console. Some titles, like Avowed and Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, are Xbox exclusive, though the company is rumored to admit that keeping Hellblade II an Xbox exclusive was a mistake.
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Sony, meanwhile, has yet to embrace this strategy. While the company is bringing console titles to the PC platform, their cadence is frustrating. We finally get The Last of Us Part II on PC in 2025, four years after its PS4 release. However, classic games, like Bloodborne and the original Uncharted trilogy, seem to be stuck on consoles for now.
