If the rumors are to be believed,Microsoftand Square Enix are at odds and this appears to be affecting which of the Japanese gaming giant’s games appear on the Xbox platform. The relationships between companies can often be complicated andMicrosofthas made waves recently in the gaming industry as it seeks to acquire Activision Blizzard, a move that has invoked the ire of Sony who believes that the deal will irreparably harm competition in the console space by giving Xbox an edge over PlayStation.
Square Enix seems to have been selective about which games it releases on Xbox in recent years. This appears to be the result of exclusion deals signed with Sony whichaccording to Microsoft puts its Xbox platform at a major disadvantagewhen compared to PlayStation. A few prominent games from Square Enix and other developers were mentioned as evidence that Microsoft acquiring Activision Blizzard would not have a major effect on competition between the two tech giants. This implied that the deal was necessary to help Microsoft catch up to Sony. Nintendo and some of its beloved first-party titles were also mentioned in the same breath.
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Square Enix recently announced a release date for the console version ofFinal Fantasy Pixel Remaster,but it appears that the company still has no plans to release its collection of classic RPGs on Xbox. The initial announcement forPixel Remasteralso excluded Microsoft platforms, so it’s not exactly surprising to see Xbox left out even though some fans of the monolithic RPG franchise had hopes that Square Enix would change its tune. It is unclear why exactly the game is not coming to Microsoft’s platform at this time, but the development has fueled speculation that relations between Square Enix and Microsoft are strained.
While Xbox gamers have had several big Square Enix releases come to their platform of choice likeMarvel’s Guardians of the GalaxyandStranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, it is understandable that those who are fans of the mainlineFinal Fantasyseries are feeling left out.Final Fantasy16is one of this year’s most anticipated games but is launching as a PlayStation exclusive whichcasts a shadow over Sony’s attempt to block Microsoftfrom acquiring Activision Blizzard
EvenFinal Fantasy 14has yet to grace the Xbox platform, butaccording to Phil Spencer Microsoft has not given upon working with Square Enix to bringFF14to Xbox. Regardless of the commitment fromMicrosoftto bring this game to its platform, the number of big Square Enix releases missing Xbox continues to grow, as does the perception that the two companies are not getting along.
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