As the fifth anniversary of Final Fantasy 7 Remake approaches, the first birthday of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth draws near, and the third and final part of the trilogy looms in the distance, it’s time for FF7 to give up on console exclusivity. The original FF7 marked a turning point for the series by giving it a new home: where FF1 through 6 were all exclusive to Nintendo consoles, FF7 brought the series to Sony as a PlayStation exclusive.

It would remain that way for some time. While Nintendo’s handhelds would continue getting ports of the Final Fantasy games its home consoles originated, every successive new mainline FF game was a PlayStation exclusive, until the MMO FF11 broke the mold by going multi-platform. But in more recent days, the series has returned to its console exclusivity roots, a practice which needs to stop.

FF7 Remake & Rebirth Were PS Timed Exclusives

Final Fantasy Has Returned To PlayStation Exclusivity

Three of the most recent Final Fantasy games have returned to pseudo-exclusivity like a bad habit. FF7 Remake, Rebirth, and FF16 were all “timed PlayStation exclusives,” which means each of them was released on PlayStation consoles first, then were ported to PC a year or so later. It makes sense, as PlayStation and Final Fantasy have always had a close relationship, and Square Enix likely still has some kind of exclusivity deal with Sony. It’s a little nicer than total exclusivity. PC players get to enjoy these games eventually, they just have to wait a little longer.

But at the end of the day, it’s a half-measure. Asking players on other platforms to be patient is one thing, but Final Fantasy is still needlessly exclusive by leaving out Xbox players entirely. That’s something that should change with the third part of the FF7 Remake trilogy.

Why FF7 Remake Part 3 Should Launch On Xbox Too

FF7 Has A Place On All Consoles

Ultimately, there’s no good reason why the FF7 Remake trilogy can’t come to Xbox, and plenty of good reasons why it can. The Xbox Series X and S are both perfectly capable of running Remake and Rebirth. There’s definitely an audience for FF7 on Xbox, so porting it wouldn’t be a waste of money. While FF fans in general are likely to skew towards PlayStation loyalty simply because of the products’ shared history, there’s been no shortage of praise and buzz around the FF7 Remake trilogy, and that has to count for something.

Plus, multiple other Final Fantasy games are already available on Xbox, so why not FF7? Final Fantasy 15 launched for PS4 and Xbox One on the same day. The Xbox version of Final Fantasy XIV was a smash hit, downright revitalizing the game with a massive influx of new players. All the classic FF games are available on Xbox in various forms, too: the Pixel Remasters of 1 – 6, the original port of FF13, and even straight-up ports of the PS1 games, FF7. Look at it that way, and the PS5/PC exclusives like FF7 Remake are really the odd ones out.

In a truly chaotic move, even Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is available on Xbox consoles.

Besides, recent Final Fantasy games have consistently fallen short of internal profit targets, according to Square Enix’s own financial reports. But there’s a surefire way to increase sales, and it’s as simple as putting an end to console exclusivity. Sure, it may mean more development costs, but look how well the PC port of FF7 Rebirth has already done since its PC release: in its opening weekend, it skyrocketed to the top of Steam’s charts. Imagine the result if part three was released on all three major platforms simultaneously.

FF7 On More Consoles Just Makes Sense

Exclusivity Is On Its Way Out

Custom image by Katarina Cimbaljevic

Square Enix says part three of the FF7 Remake trilogy will be out by 2027, so here’s a pitch. Spend the interim porting Remake, Rebirth, and maybe even Crisis Core to Xbox Series X/S for good measure so that players on those consoles can catch up. Then, when part three finally comes out, release it on Xbox alongside the PlayStation version (or at least alongside the PC version a year later). If the Switch 2 can run them, put it on there, too. It’ll be good for sales, and it’ll put an end to a tradition of exclusivity that seems to be doing the Final Fantasy series more harm than good.

The fact of the matter is that console exclusivity, as a whole, is on the decline. Microsoft has more or less let it go, starting to explore the possibility of releasing them on PlayStation. It’s not totally dead yet, as evidenced in part by recent Final Fantasy releases, but perhaps it should be. Exclusivity no longer sells consoles; in this day and age, most console hardware is more or less identical, at least in terms of specs. The only things separating them, really, are their proprietary controllers and players’ brand loyalty.

So all things considered, exclusivity is a silly thing for Final Fantasy to continue upholding. It represents leagues of Xbox players’ money left on the table, and a frankly unnecessary bit of gatekeeping. For all these reasons and more, here’s hoping for Final Fantasy 7 Remake part three on Xbox consoles, whether it’s this generation or the next.