A new PlayStation 5 advert has revealed that the upcoming Final Fantasy 16 will be a PS5 limited-time exclusive for an unexpectedly short time.
A new advert has confirmed that the upcoming Final Fantasy 16 will only be a PlayStation 5 exclusive for six months. FF16 was one of the first games promoted as being a PS5 exclusive when the console was unveiled, especially among third-party developers. As was the case with FF7 Remake, most fans expected this exclusivity to be temporary, and for a PC release to arrive in time.
FF16‘s PS5 console exclusivity was confirmed back at the original PS5 Showcase event, but it seems this won’t be the case forever. The official PlayStation Twitter account has uploaded a new video that shows off current and upcoming PS5 games, including The Last of Us remake and God of War Ragnarok. Final Fantasy 16 is shown in the trailer, with a footnote claiming that it will be a PS5 exclusive for six months. It’s notable that it doesn’t specify console exclusivity, which means a PC version will also have to wait.
The New PS5 Advert Says FF16 Will Be A Six-Month Exclusive
These timed PlayStation console exclusivity deals with Square Enix have been a huge boon for Sony in the past, as FF7 Remake is still a PlayStation console exclusive. It’s no surprise that Sony would push to have more Final Fantasy timed exclusives on PlayStation systems, even in the face of Square Enix embracing multiplatform releases. If Final Fantasy 16 hits its Summer 2023 release window, then it means that PC and other console versions of FF16 could arrive by the 2023 holiday season.
An Xbox Series X/S version is likely on the cards and a PC release is almost certain, while FF16 on Nintendo Switch would probably require a cloud-streaming version, in the same manner as the Kingdom Hearts games on the system. The only thing that could delay these releases is a repeat of the FF7 Remake Intergrade situation. FF7 Remake Intergrade increased the PlayStation-timed exclusivity of the original game, to the point where it still hasn’t been released on other consoles and is only available on PC. An updated re-release of FF16 that adds DLC could have a similar effect.
The six-month timed-exclusivity window for FF16 is shorter than that of FF7 Remake, but FF7 was historically tied to the PlayStation platform, whereas FF16 is a brand new mainline entry in the series. FF16 is the first mainline Final Fantasy since FF13 to not be dogged by production issues, so expectations for the game are sky-high, and it has a lot of potential to be a multi-platform hit. FF16‘s release date should arrive before 2022’s end, so fans will have an indication of how long Final Fantasy 16 will be a PS5 exclusive very soon.
Source: PlayStation/Twitter