Final Fantasy 14 coming to the Xbox Series X/S next year – That’s Gaming

50

In addition to announcing Final Fantasy 14’s next major expansion called Dawntrail, Square Enix has confirmed that the MMORPG is coming to Xbox Series X/S. As a digital release, it will offer faster load times and 4K support on the Series X with patch 6.5X receiving an open beta. Square Enix also promises improved support for Xbox in the future.

During Final Fantasy 14 Fan Fest 2023, producer/director Naoki Yoshida stood on stage along with Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer. The latter stated (transcript via Gematsu), “What I appreciate about [Naoki Yoshida] and your team is that you put the player at the center of everything you do. That couldn’t be clearer than when I look at your presentation today.

“At Xbox, we share a very similar spirit when it comes to our players. And we’re inspired by how you get from Final Fantasy 14 with [iedereen] a worldwide success, and we want to bring the Xbox community and you Warriors of Light together in a safe, secure and engaging way – and most importantly, fun. And we also see this as an important moment in our relationship with [Square Enix] and the Final Fantasy team as we work more closely together in the future.

“The entire Xbox team is looking forward to how our newest Warriors of Light will use the full capabilities of Xbox Series X and Series S to help save Eorzea. And I look forward to working with you, Yoshida-san, and your studios as you bring this incredible franchise to global platforms to enable more players to connect and enjoy the fun of gaming together.”

Square Enix CEO Takashi Kiryu then appeared on stage to thank Spencer, saying, “This is a project that would not have been possible without [Phil’s] support. I think on behalf of myself, [Yoshida], and all of our Warriors of Light watching the livestream can say how excited I am to see Xbox support being added, and that we can welcome countless new friends into the world of Final Fantasy 14. Final Fantasy 14 will only get bigger and better, so for all the Xbox gamers out there, I encourage you to try out Final Fantasy 14.

“And another thing, as CEO of Square Enix, we want to continue to deliver great games to fans around the world, and of course we want to welcome the Xbox community as well, starting with the announcement of Final Fantasy 14 coming in the spring of 2024, and whenever possible we plan to bring our games to Xbox so players around the world can enjoy them. We look forward to working closely with Phil and the Xbox team to make this possible.”

Yoshida added that he was “incredibly grateful” and that the team is “committed to working with Xbox in the future.”

Aside from finally fulfilling the goal of bringing Square Enix’s MMO to Xbox, this show of support from Square Enix is interesting. Several of its major titles, such as the recently released Final Fantasy 16 and the upcoming Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, are exclusive to PS5. One wonders how this affects its relationship with Sony (although Final Fantasy 16 has a temporary exclusive deal).

Nevertheless, it is exciting because of the possibility of both coming to Xbox. We can even see Final Fantasy 7 Remake, which is available on PC, PS4 and PS5, finally coming to Microsoft’s platforms. As always, stay tuned for more details.

Final Fantasy 14, meanwhile, will see the expansion Dawntrail released in the summer of 2024.