'Final Fantasy XIV' Producer Talks Game's Release on Switch and Xbox

In a recent interview, “Final Fantasy XIV” producer Naoki Yoshida gave some updates on their talks and plans of releasing the title and its installments on the Nintendo Switch and the Xbox One.

The main title of the massively multiplayer online role-playing game was released in 2010 and has been available only on the PC. In the following years, Square Enix launched expansion packs under the “Final Fantasy XIV” series, namely “A Realm Reborn” in 2013, “Heavensward” in 2015, and “Stormblood” in 2017.

All the mentioned expansion titles were released on the PC, the PlayStation, and mobile devices. However, even the latest installment, “Stormblood,” has never been launched on the Switch and Xbox One platforms.

So, the question still stands: Will the “Final Fantasy XIV” ever reach new territories? Unfortunately, Yoshida did not announce anything certain. But, on a positive note, he confirmed that Square Enix is still pursuing its negotiations, especially with Microsoft, to make it happen.

“We have had conversations with [Xbox boss] Phil Spencer three times over the last year. It’s just a matter of a few more clauses being waived. But at this point we don’t have much of an update,” Yoshida told Kotaku. “Considering how far into the discussion we’ve gotten with Microsoft, we might have made a little more progress in the Xbox discussion versus the Switch.”

Note, though, that Yoshida’s team is also in ongoing talks with Nintendo about bringing these games to the Switch.

Yoshida also touched on the subject that Sony probably does not want to hear, which is the support for cross-platform plays. The renowned game producer and director revealed that they have also run “into an issue with Sony” regarding this matter.

Sony drew flak anew following the release of “Fornite” on the Switch at the Electronic Entertainment Expo last week. A lot of battle royale players are disappointed that Sony has once again put up walls on cross-platform play even for a game as huge as “Fortnite.”

Sony apparently has the same stance on “Final Fantasy XIV” titles’ cross-platform play support. Yoshida said they already had some meetings with former Sony president Andrew House but are yet to sit down with new chief Kenichiro Yoshida, who took office just last April.

“So unfortunately we don’t have any visibility on the current stance Sony is taking. We’re hoping that with the transition there may be some kind of shift but we have not had the opportunity to sit down and discuss,” the game producer said.