After years of rumors, Final Fantasy XVI has been officially announced for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox Cloud Gaming. Fans have been eagerly hoping to see the latest numbered entry in the series on Xbox platforms, and not only has it been announced, but it’s getting released today. Unfortunately, this isn’t a Game Pass offering, so those hoping to play it on the platform will have to pay full price when it gets made available on the Microsoft Store. Regardless, this is great news for those that have been hoping to finally experience the game outside of Sony’s system, or on PC.
In addition to releasing Final Fantasy XVI today, Square Enix confirmed that Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade will be coming to Xbox this winter. That announcement isn’t all that surprising, given that the game is also coming to Nintendo Switch 2 this year. However, it does show how Square Enix is committed to expanding its options beyond Sony’s system. The company has frequently shared its desire to embrace multiplatform releases, and it looks like that’s happening in a very big way. An Xbox trailer for Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade can be found below.
Final Fantasy XVI was released as a timed exclusive on PlayStation 5 back in 2023. While the game was critically well-received, sales seemed to fall far below expectations for Square Enix. There are several factors that likely played into that, but the biggest seems to be the game’s exclusivity window. The game was released on PC last year. This arrival on Xbox should give a new audience a chance to see why the reviews were so positive, and help the developers continue to expand the overall audience for the game.
Microsoft has been making a big effort to court Square Enix over the last few years. Final Fantasy XIV finally saw a release on Xbox in 2024, and we also got to see the arrival of the Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters, as well. At this point, Xbox is really starting to build a large library of Final Fantasy games, which should come as good news for fans of the beloved RPG franchise.
RELATED: Square Enix Drops Another Big Final Fantasy 9 Remake Hint With New Music Recording
Missing from today’s Xbox Games Showcase was any information about Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on Xbox Series X|S. If Remake is coming to the system, it’s a very safe bet that we’ll be seeing the second entry in the trilogy as well. However, fans will probably have to wait until sometime in 2026 to see it, based on the winter release for the first chapter. The third and final entry in the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy does not currently have a release date. However, like the first two, there will be some period of timed exclusivity.
Are you planning to check out Final Fantasy XVI on Xbox today? What Square Enix games do you still want on the system? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!
The post Final Fantasy 16 Shadow Dropped on Xbox appeared first on ComicBook.com.
from ComicBook.com https://ift.tt/I7Fivcm
0 Comments