It's become increasingly evident over the past year that Microsoft's main priority isn't selling Xbox Series X or S consoles. Rather, the company is more focused on increasing the value of Xbox Game Pass, regardless of if you plan on playing on Xbox, PC, or through Xbox cloud gaming. It's proven through partnerships with publishers such as EA and Sega that Game Pass is only possible through partnerships with key industry publishers, with a healthy backing of indie projects on Microsoft's part too. One unlikely partnership that has come from Microsoft's focus on Game Pass is with Square Enix, a publisher that has historically partnered with Sony and Nintendo.
Not only has Square Enix brought People Can Fly's latest triple-A multiplayer shooter Outriders to Xbox Game Pass at launch, but last week it brought the once Nintendo Switch-exclusive title Octopath Traveler to Xbox platforms for the first time. This is after Octopath Traveler came to PC in 2019 and Google Stadia in 2020, and almost three years after its release as a Nintendo Switch exclusive. While this isn't the first time Square Enix has launched the Xbox version of a game into Game Pass (Dragon Quest 11 S: Echoes of an Elusive Age Definitive Edition joined the service upon release on the console last December), it was a major surprise for fans who did not expect the game to come to Xbox at all after its Nintendo Switch exclusivity.
Now that Square Enix has taken an interest, there is an entire back-catalogue of titles just waiting to be added to Xbox Game Pass. While we will not be highlighting games that have been added and removed to the service in the past like the previous Life is Strange games, or upcoming games like Life is Strange: True Colors, here are some Square Enix games that should come to Xbox Game Pass next.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake
Let's address the big one right away. Final Fantasy 7 Remake, the first installment in the remake series for Square Enix's most iconic JRPG that was nominated for and received multiple game of the year awards in 2020. Upon its reveal in summer 2015, Sony announced that it had timed-exclusivity for Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Xbox and PC fans still do not know how long this exclusivity will last. The game's box art initially implied that exclusivity would last a single year, however, Final Fantasy 7 Remake is approaching its one year anniversary, and the reveal of Intergrade makes it seem like Xbox and PC fans will have to wait even longer on Microsoft's platforms.
If Final Fantasy 7 Remake: Intergrade is a timed PS5 exclusive, it seems like it makes the most sense to bring the game to Xbox Series X/S and PC via Xbox Game Pass. The game could join Game Pass a year or two after its initial release to give the game a "second life," like so many games have seen from being added to Xbox Game Pass. Square Enix has also added almost all of the Final Fantasy games released on Xbox consoles over the past generation, so Remake seems like the next sensible addition.
Trials of Mana
Fans of the Seiken Densetsu (or Mana) series waited almost 25 years to play Trials of Mana in English, which they were finally able to thanks to the release of the Collection of Mana on Nintendo Switch in 2019. This localization was made possible thanks to the localization work the staff at Square Enix was already doing on the game's then upcoming remake, which launched in April 2020 for PS4 and Nintendo Switch.
Similarly to Octopath Traveler, Trials of Mana is a lower budget Square Enix JRPG from one of the studio's smaller internal teams. While the game was a sales success, receiving the best fanfare and sales of any of Square Enix's Mana series remakes so far, the game's popularity has certainly fallen off less than a year after its release. This is another Square Enix JRPG that could benefit from a second life, and one of the titles that seems likeliest to benefit from being added to Game Pass.
Marvel's Avengers
It should come as no surprise to see this title here. Marvel's Avengers has been on an uphill battle for Square Enix since its reveal in summer 2019. Before launch, many fans criticized its characters for looking like "knock-off MCU" depictions of Marvel's most iconic comic book heroes. Since then, many fans have struggled with the concept of a Marvel-centric, loot-based action RPG, resulting in mixed reviews at the game's launch and underwhelming sales.
While Crystal Dynamics has done all it can in recent months to prevent it from undergoing the same fate as the likes of Anthem, it seems like something drastic needs to be done in order to keep Marvel's Avengers from falling into irrelevance. Especially in the first year of the game's content rollout, momentum needs to be built fast. While characters such as Hawkeye and Black Panther will bring in new fans, what Avengers needs is to come to Xbox Game Pass, if only for a limited time. This gives fans the opportunity to try the game for themselves, play with friends, and even experience its engaging campaign.
Balan Wonderworld
The final suggestion for Square Enix titles that should come to Xbox Game Pass is one that Square Enix should probably add to the service for its own sake than for fans. Balan Wonderworld released just last week, and despite being the latest creation from Sonic the Hedgehog and NiGHTS creator Yuji Naka, the game is being absolutely slammed by critics, with the game sitting at a 46 on Metacritic and an average 51 on OpenCritic.
These reviews aren't an immediate death sentence for the game, but what's most disappointing about Balan Wonderworld is that it is the first project from Naka's newest development team Balan Company. If the game underperforms financially it is possible the team may not get a second chance to learn from its mistakes and hone its skills for another title. While adding the game to Xbox Game Pass certainly wouldn't make it any better of a title, it may allow the game to find a cult following similarly to other critically panned titles such as Fallout 76 and Hello Neighbor. Perhaps Balan Company could grow an audience and following of its own on Xbox Game Pass.
Octopath Traveler is currently available on Google Stadia, Nintendo Switch, PC, and Xbox One.