Final Fantasy XIV discussions with Nintendo and Microsoft are ongoing but may take a long time
Naoki Yoshida talks about the hurdles to getting Final Fantasy XIV in the hands of Switch and Xbox owners.
Despite Final Fantasy XIV's considerable success since 2013's renovated A Realm Reborn, PlayStation owners are the only console audience with access to the huge MMORPG.
Director and producer Naoki Yoshida has spoken before about the issues blocking Final Fantasy XIV from releasing on Xbox One in the past. The problem seems to lie in Microsoft's ability to handle support for such a big MMORPG.
Must read
Square Enix sent finder to Hamburg for a one-day event that included a hands-on session with Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood and a lengthy chat with the series director, Naoki Yoshida.
Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood arrives on 20 June 2017 for PC and PlayStation 4.
Find the best price in our detailed bargain guide.
We travelled to Hamburg recently for a hands-on session with Final Fantasy XIV's upcoming expansion Stormblood and a sit-down with Naoki Yoshida himself. With the recent success of the Nintendo Switch, we couldn't help but ask if Yoshida saw a future for Final Fantasy XIV on the Nintendo Switch and his answer seemed to reflect earlier comments on support for Xbox One.
"We want as many players joining Final Fantasy XIV as possible," Yoshida assured. Final Fantasy XIV's head honcho says the team's "base policy" to achieving this is to continuously explore different options for new platforms to bring their beloved game to, and that discussions with Nintendo and Microsoft were most definitely ongoing.
The problem, Yoshida says, is that as an MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV has regular patch updates that can't be delayed depending on the platform. "We need to make sure Nintendo and Microsoft understand what we do and have them know about our online and QA regulations. We believe these conversations will take a long time."
According to Yoshida, the second hurdle is one of shared responsibility. Expanding to new platforms means growing your community and support for those communities needs to be a shared responsibility between Square Enix and Nintendo and/or Microsoft. Having those companies understand that is part of the ongoing discussion, a discussion that Yoshida doesn't see ending anytime soon.
We'll have our full interview with Naoki Yoshida up this week. In the meantime, check out what Yoshida had to say about adding Viera as a playable race in Final Fantasy XIV.
Latest gaming headlines
- Where to buy Pokémon cards online 2024
- Nintendo Switch OLED deals: Cheapest prices in Australia | Up to 28% off
- Xbox Adaptive Controller review: Incredible potential for every gamer
- Every game you can play on a Tesla: From Asteroids to Sonic
- Nintendo Switch OLED vs Switch vs Switch Lite: Parents guide