Some newly emerged evidence suggests that Microsoft is presently in talks to bring a major PlayStation console exclusive to Xbox.
Highlights
Microsoft is reportedly in talks to bring Final Fantasy 7 Remake to Xbox.
Even if those purported talks were to amount to anything, an Xbox port of the game is unlikely to be announced in the immediate future, not least because it would overshadow the February 29 release of FF7 Rebirth.
In the meantime, Xbox fans eager to play some Final Fantasy will be able to do so from late February, when the FF14 Xbox Series X/S open beta is scheduled to kick off.
Microsoft may be in preliminary discussions to bring Final Fantasy 7 Remake to Xbox, an established industry insider has said. This claim arrives mere months after a well-known leaker labeled a Final Fantasy 7 Remake Xbox port as unlikely, at least in the foreseeable future.
The first installment in the planned trilogy of Final Fantasy 7 remakes was originally released as a timed PS4 exclusive in April 2020. An enhanced version of the game, called Final Fantasy 7 Remake Integrade, launched on the PS5 in June 2021 before making its way to PC six months later. Square Enix has yet to give any indication that an Xbox port of the game is on the cards, despite the fact that its exclusivity deal with Sony ended years ago.
Be that as it may, Microsoft may currently be in talks to finally bring the game to the Xbox Series X/S, according to Windows Central's Jez Corden. "I've got evidence tentatively that there are discussions about Final Fantasy 7 [Remake] for Xbox," Corden said during the latest episode of The Xbox Two Podcast. His insight dovetails with Phil Spencer's recent comments on the possibility of a FF7 Remake Xbox port that saw the Microsoft Gaming CEO reveal he's often in Tokyo discussing potential new releases with Square Enix.
But even if these purported talks were to amount to anything, Corden believes that a near-future announcement of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake Xbox port is unlikely, as such a move would "take the shine off Rebirth." For clarity, FF7 Rebirth—the second installment in the planned remake trilogy—launches February 29 as Square Enix's biggest game of the year, budget- and expectations-wise. Much like its predecessor, the upcoming JRPG will be a timed PlayStation exclusive.
Maybe Sony and Square Enix both wouldn't want to take the shine off [FF7] Rebirth right now by announcing FF7 Remake for Xbox, but I do think it'll happen.
Nevertheless, Xbox fans eager to play some Final Fantasy won't be without options in the near future. That's primarily because the Final Fantasy 14 Xbox Series X/S open beta is on the horizon, with Square Enix planning to launch it on or around February 21.
As for the possibility of Final Fantasy 7 Remake finally making its way to Microsoft's consoles, stranger things have happened. Ultimately, even Square Enix itself wants to bring more of its games to Xbox, having said as much as late as summer 2023, shortly after announcing that FF14 is finally coming to Microsoft's current-generation consoles. But even assuming more Final Fantasy games are on their way to Xbox, that's not to say FF7 Remake will be leading that batch. After all, the FF16 exclusivity period just ran out in late December, making that game another potential porting candidate for Square Enix.
Square Enix's Final Fantasy 7 Remake takes the 1997 JRPG classic and gives it a modern makeover, including updated visuals, a tweaked storyline, and real-time combat. The first entry in a series of games, Final Fantasy 7 follows Cloud, a former Shinra operative, as he becomes part of an eco-terrorist group called Avalanche. On the PS5 and PC, the game was released as Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade, which comes with the Intermission DLC.