Now Square Enix is saying Final Fantasy 16 is only coming to PS5

News by Sherif Saed Contributing Editor

Published on Sept. 17, 2020

The mess of broken promises and unclear messaging continues in the wake of PS5's big event.

Sony opened the PS5 Showcase with a reveal trailer for Final Fantasy 16. It was the only game in the show whose footage was captured on a PC emulating the PS5's capabilities, whereas the rest were all captured on PS5.

The trailer's final slide specifically stated that the game is a PlayStation console exclusive, but will also be available on PC. Then, Square Enix properly announced Final Fantasy 16 through its official channels, with no mention of platforms other than PS5 to be found.

When Gematsu followed it up with the publisher, it remained on message, telling the site, "We have no further information on if [Final Fantasy 16] will be released on platforms other than the PS5."

So what's going on? Well, it looks like a classic case of miscommunication. The game was always going to be a PlayStation 5 exclusive, with more platforms to be revealed later down the line. The recent Final Fantasy 7 Remake, for instance, indicates on its cover that it's a one-year PS4 exclusive.

What likely happened there was that Sony jumped the gun, electing to confirm the existence of a PC version now. Square Enix would have eventually announced the game for PC, of course, but on its own terms.

Industry analyst Piers Harding-Rolls says Final Fantasy 16 will arrive on PC six months after PS5, and on other consoles a year later.

To clarify:#FinalFantasyXVI is a full exclusive for 6 months (after which it can come to non-console platforms) & a console exclusive for 12 months (after which it can also come to other consoles)

Timing and platform support is totally down to SE’s dev efforts /1 https://t.co/VGiYLFXzdN

— Piers Harding-Rolls (@PiersHR) September 17, 2020

It's not actually that much different from many of the other "console launch exclusive" deals you see around. The only difference in this case is that Sony decided to be upfront in the initial stream.

The 4K version of the trailer, later uploaded to the PlayStation YouTube channel and embedded above, does not make any mention of PC. The same is also true for Square Enix's own upload, further adding that the game is "not available on other platforms for a limited time after release on PS5."

More details on Final Fantasy 16 will be revealed in 2021. The game does not have a release date.