Final Fantasy has been synonymous with PlayStation for the past few years, with Square Enix keeping several new titles exclusive to the platform. But this strategy has been changing recently, with many games heading to Xbox in the near future alongside day-and-date PC releases.

There is good reason for this, as the latest mainline releases in the franchise have not been selling according to the company’s expectations, and new sales figures for Final Fantasy 16 echo this sentiment.

Why it matters: Final Fantasy games have been mega-sellers for the past two decades, so Final Fantasy 16’s failure to make a mark is an indictment of PlayStation exclusivity. Final Fantasy 16 was a financial failure, according to Square Enix.
In a new financial briefing, Square Enix president Takashi Kiryu revealed that the action RPG has sold 3.5 million units since its release. When you factor in the 3 million units Final Fantasy 16 shipped in its first week, the game has only sold 500K units in the preceding two years.

The staggered PC release of Final Fantasy 16 also affected sales. After launching in September last year, the title launched to an underwhelming 9K players on Steam and sold less than 300K units. Square Enix also said that the 2023 RPG did not meet overall sales expectations.

For one of the biggest franchises in the gaming world, such sales are dismal, to say the least, and are probably the main force behind Square Enix’s decision to end PlayStation exclusivity. The company has been teasing an Xbox port of the title for a long time, and rumors suggest it might launch this year. The game will be heading to Xbox in the near future, according to rumors
In addition, other games like Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth are also planned to be released on Xbox consoles in the upcoming year, with day-and-date launches planned for all future games in the franchise. Hence, the PlayStation-exclusive approach has been more detrimental than triumphant for Square Enix.