One of the cornerstones of the first PlayStation’s history was the release and success ofFinal Fantasy 7, an exclusive revolutionary RPG that was one of the best selling games of all time. Now it seems Sony has recaptured the magic withFinal Fantasy 7 Remake, as Cloud and the gang make their triumphant reunion for one last ride. But, like many other fantastic games, the reimagining of the classic RPG is at the very least a timed-exclusive until 2021.
Despite Square Enix’s independence from Sony, many of their core franchises continue to remain timed exclusives for PlayStation.Final Fantasy 7 Remakewill likely be no different, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to gauge if and when the wildly successful remake comes to PC or Xbox.
RELATED:Final Fantasy 7 Remake Devs Studied Big PS4 Exclusive While Developing the Game
FF7 Remake’s Current Exclusivity
Interestingly enough, it seemsFinal Fantasy 7 Remakehas been vaguely confirmed for other platforms since the beginning. At the end of the remake’s initial hype trailer, the final message was “Play It First On PlayStation 4.” Granted it’s the vaguest confirmation that the game’s not just coming to PS4, the statement did at least plant the seed that the game would come to other platforms later on. Subsequent trailers dropped the wording entirely, only showing the PS4 logo on the ending credits without any subtext.Games like theKingdom Hearts 1.5 + 2.5 Remixeshad a similar exclusivity deal with PlayStation, meaning those games didn’t come to Xbox One until February 2020.
Other games have had console exclusivity confirmed in later trailers before so this isn’t anything new, but theFinal Fantasy 7 Remakenever had a statement come out explicitly stating it was PS4-exclusive. When Square Enix unveiled the official box art for the game, a disclaimer was eventually added that stated the game would be a PlayStation exclusive. Under that exclusivity banner was fine print that stated the game was specifically a “Timed Exclusive” until July 08, 2025. Of course, with the game’s delaythe exclusivity deal was bumped upto May 19, 2025, a year out from the final release date of the game.
FF7 Remake on Xbox
Kingdom Heartswas a special case, considering both consoles had a long wait time before theRemixgames andKingdom Hearts 3were released. In the case ofFinal Fantasy 7 Remake, there likely won’t be that long of a gap for Xbox One (and also Xbox Series X) this time. Many leaks have already suggestedFinal Fantasy 7 Remakeis coming to PC, so it’s likely there’s a version of the game that’s either almost done or completed development for the Xbox One/Xbox Series X.
Assuming there is a PC version already in development forFinal Fantasy 7 Remake, a Xbox version of some kind would already have to be much further in development in comparison. The data mine of theRemake’s demo only points to the possible existence of a PC version, not a confirmation of a full release in any capacity. The officialPlayStation video does mention footage captured on PC, so it could be closer than it seems. Square Enix PC ports traditionally take much longer, if they exist at all, to come to the platform. That doesn’t necessarily mean the Xbox game comes out June 28, 2025, but it does mean there likely won’t be a long wait until the game comes out for more platforms.
FF7 Remake Episodes and Xbox One
It does bring into question how the additional episodes will be handled for Xbox releases. Assuming eachepisode ofFinal Fantasy 7 Remakecontinues this year-long exclusivity deal, that means Xbox players will continually be at a disadvantage throughout subsequent releases. This decision would be unexpected from Square Enix, which recently has been pretty consistent with simultaneous worldwide releases for a majority if its catalog. It’s not like theFinal Fantasy 7 Remakeis a one-to-one replication with the original game, with plenty of new content surprising both new and existing players. Spoilers will be readily available on the internet very soon after release.
Waiting a year to avoid spoilers for a game is nigh impossible, again leaving Xbox players at an inherent disadvantage. Being vague about the release date before confirming a timed exclusive later on only hurts Xbox fans who are excited for the game. Considering Square Enix reversed its exclusivity decision betweenRise of the Tomb RaiderandShadow of the Tomb Raider, the publisher is aware ofthe effect exclusivity can have on a game’s brand. Having PlayStation be the exclusive platform forFinal Fantasy 7 Remakeis a bit perplexing, especially consideringFinal Fantasy 15had a simultaneous release on PS4 and Xbox One.
Logically, it would make sense for the rest of the episodes inFinal Fantasy 7 Remaketo release simultaneously, but it depends on whether or not Sony’s exclusivity contract bars it from doing so. Then again if the exclusivity was reversed, it wouldn’t make sense for Sony to have this exclusivity exist in the first place. Until fans learn more about the game’s next episode, Xbox players will likely still be left in the dark while PlayStation fans will be first in line.
