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Fans out there are wondering – can you play Final Fantasy 16 on Xbox Series X?
Final Fantasy’s latest instalment is on the way, with a release date confirmed for June 22nd. In fact, the demo is already out. This means you can get stuck into the celebrated franchise on some of the latest gaming technology. ‘Some’ is a keyword there, however, with the news coming that PlayStation has a six-month exclusive on the game.
While Final Fantasy 15 was able to be played on Xbox from its release date, the 2020 remake of Final Fantasy 7 never saw the same release. So could the same happen with Final Fantasy 16?
Will Final Fantasy 16 be on Xbox Series X?
On June 22nd, Final Fantasy 16 will not be released on Xbox Series X. This does totally rule out the possibility of a future release date for the Xbox Series X/S, though nothing has been set out yet.
This is all thanks to a timed exclusivity deal Sony agreed with Square Enix, the developers of Final Fantasy 16. The game’s producer Yoshi-P offered some explanations for the existence of this deal, explaining that Sony had the best offer. Game studios do, at the end of the day, have to turn a profit. However, there are also some benefits to the game itself.
As soon as the developers know that, at least for a while, the game will exclusively exist on one platform, they can focus their time and energy on optimising the game for that platform. This will ultimately make for a game that functions better. With a timed release, the studio can then spend the next months readying the game for other systems.
For example, while no Final Fantasy 16 PC release date has been confirmed, Naoki Yoshida from Square Enix did confirm that one would come eventually. The same cannot be said for Xbox. While nothing is known for sure, there is every possibility that, as part of the time exclusivity deal, Square Enix is barred from later releasing the game on Microsoft’s console.
What we do know for sure is that, at least for the time being, if you want to play Final Fantasy 16 on console you will need a PS5. If you’re looking for a handheld experience, it is possible to play Final Fantasy 16 on ASUS ROG Ally too.
