Square Enix console exclusivity may be coming to an end soon

By Tomas Franzese May 13, 2024

Square Enix, the Japanese developer and publisher behind recent PlayStation 5 exclusives like Final Fantasy XVI and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, plans to release more multiplatform titles in the future.

The announcement came as part of a “medium-term business plan” that Square Enix will follow between now and March 31, 2027, in order to address problems like “low profitability” in its AAA console games. It not only plans to “shift from quantity to quality” and release fewer titles going forward, but wants to make those games available in as many places as possible. Specifically, Square Enix says it wants to “aggressively pursue a multiplatform strategy that includes Nintendo platforms, PlayStation, Xbox, and PCs” for its most popular franchises and AAA games.

Over the past couple of console generations, Square Enix hasn’t strayed away from taking an enticing timed console exclusivity offer when it saw one. Games like Octopath Traveler and Bravely Default 2 were initially released only on Nintendo Switch. More notably, Final Fantasy XVI and the Final Fantasy VII Remake series have been PlayStation exclusives. Even Xbox got Rise of the Tomb Raider as a timed exclusive in 2015.

Although this approach seemed to work for Square Enix for some time, Final Fantasy XVI and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth have reportedly underperformed, a sentiment Square Enix’s comments in this new business plan appear to back up. Square Enix announced its intention to bring more games to Xbox last year, starting with Final Fantasy XIV, and now it looks like more multiplatform games are on the way from the publisher.

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Tomas Franzese is a Staff Writer at Digital Trends, where he reports on and reviews the latest releases and exciting…

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