It seems the early rumbles of the “exclusives wars” of the incoming next generation of consoles is upon us as Square Enix has just confirmed that Final Fantasy VII Remake will be released for the PlayStation 4 only, and the developer has no plans for its launch on other platforms.
This statement comes in the wake of an erroneous Facebook post by Xbox Germany that indicated that Final Fantasy VII Remake will be available for the Xbox One upon its release. Xbox Germany has since deleted the post and apologized for any confusion (and false hopes) that it may have created.
Most fans of the franchise probably have high hopes for Final Fantasy VII Remake, as the original Final Fantasy VII was actually ported to multiple platforms, signalling a probable treatment for the remake, yet here we are.
Originally announced at E3 2015, its trailer claimed “play it first on the PlayStation 4”, which seemed to mean that all other platforms would get a launch date in the future. However, the latest trailer for the game In E3 2019 only included its worldwide release date and the PlayStation 4 logo, with no other mention of the game appearing on other platforms. Semantics is everything, and even Square Enix’s statement to IGN looks bleak for players from different platforms: “As previously announced, Final Fantasy VII Remake will be released for the PlayStation 4 on March 3rd, 2020. We have no plans for other platforms”.
With the recent news regarding Microsoft’s aggressive IP hunting escapades and Google Stadia’s upcoming launch, Sony Entertainment may already be in the process of hoarding its precious titles and franchises when the inevitable next-gen console battle comes.
Final Fantasy VII Remake is set for release only on the PlayStation 4 by March 3 of next year. Until then, fans of the franchise can only cross their fingers and hope, or maybe save up for a PlayStation 4.
