In the wake of September's PS5 event, Sony's had some marketing issues with defining the exclusivity of upcoming titles. It's been an issue with the Demon's Souls Remake supposedly coming to PC, and then all of a sudden not coming to PC. The same thing could happen to Final Fantasy 16, which was never confirmed for other platforms officially, but has also had any mention of the PC taken off its initial reveal trailer as well. For now, the short answer of Final Fantasy 16 coming to Xbox Series X is definitely no, but it's unclear if that will change.

Timed exclusives on console certainly aren't anything new, especially for Sony, who's use of exclusives was one of many factors that dictated the PS4's success. In the past, Final Fantasy games have been timed exclusives from not only additional consoles but PC as well. As far back as Final Fantasy 7, various entries in the franchise have been PlayStation exclusive for a long time. Now, as Final Fantasy 16 gears up for the PS5, it seems PlayStation is back to their old exclusive tricks for PS5. Unfortunately, that's at the detriment of Final Fantasy fans getting an Xbox this holiday.

RELATED: Final Fantasy 16 is Likely Years Away

Final Fantasy's PlayStation Exclusivity Returns, Sort Of

From the beginning, Final Fantasy 16 was announced as a "PlayStation console exclusive," whilst also providing an addendum in fine print that the game would be "also available on PC." Sony has mentioned previously that the company would explore porting or releasing first-party titles on PC more often, but that was without mention of any third-party games they acquire exclusivity over. In the case of Final Fantasy 16, it seems that console exclusivity shares the same deal as Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Previous Final Fantasy games have not shown any hesitance to the PC or Xbox Series X previously, so a timed-exclusive makes the most sense here.

Notwithstanding Square Enix's ability to develop and port the games to other platforms, Final Fantasy 16 will likely be PS5 exclusive for at least a year. For Xbox fans, that translates to at least a year of hang time between the game's release on PS5 to Xbox Series X. April 2021 will almost certainly prove this, assuming Final Fantasy 7 Remake is finally released on PC and Xbox Series X as well. Plenty of Final Fantasy 7 Remake's promotional material was shown running on a PC emulation of the PS4 build of the game, which was the same case with Final Fantasy 16's trailer too.

Mixed Messages from Final Fantasy 16's Trailer

A battle in Final Fantasy 16

However, some recent changes to Final Fantasy 16's trailer have muddied up the situation by a bit. During the PS5's September showcase, the initial Final Fantasy 16 reveal stated the game would also be available on PC. Days later, just like with Demon's Souls, several of the updated high-resolution trailers removed the "console exclusive" phrasing and simply stated that Final Fantasy 16 would "not [be] available on other platforms for a limited time after release on PS5." Evidently, this exclusivity now seems to encompass PC, whereas before the wording was vague enough to the point that people assumed that wouldn't be the case.

Obviously this has created a lot of confusion on the timing of exclusivity, a lot of which doesn't have a straight answer. Square Enix's only official statement on the matter was that the publisher would not discuss anything related to Final Fantasy 16 on consoles other than PS5. It's no confirmation, but it does mean that the Xbox Series X version of the game could be ways away. For context, the previous game Final Fantasy 15 had a simultaneous release on PS4 and Xbox One, with the only delay being on the PC port of the game. There's still been no official word on Final Fantasy 7 Remake's release on other platforms, but timed-exclusivity generally means no talk of other platforms either.

RELATED: How Final Fantasy 14's Success Has Influenced Final Fantasy 16

Unnecessary Confusion Over Final Fantasy 16's Release

shiva diamond dust

Unfortunately, aside from arguing the benefits and drawbacks of exclusive games, the big problem here is just the lack of communication. Or more accurately, the various examples of miscommunication. Basically any Final Fantasy fans doesn't need long before they can assume the game will be PlayStation exclusive for now, but Sony's and Square Enix's response to the situation makes no sense. If anyone can assume what any of this timed-exclusive business means, why are Sony and Square Enix beating around the bush?

Things would've been a lot smoother if the messaging was just made clearer. State that Final Fantasy 16 is a PS5 timed-exclusive, and then move on. Unless the terms have been re-negotiated, which the "limited time after release on PS5" phrasing doesn't seem to infer, then there's no reason to make things a mystery for PC or Xbox players. Leaving fans in the dark like this leads to assumptions and a lot of impatience, especially for those who may still be waiting for a Final Fantasy 7 Remake on PC or Xbox. For now, it's safe to assume Final Fantasy 16 will probably be exclusive to PS5 for a year before the Xbox Series X version releases.

Final Fantasy 16 is in development as a timed-exclusive for PS5.

MORE: Final Fantasy 16's Combat Could Be the Perfect Marriage of FF7 Remake and FF15