No matter what platform you play Final Fantasy XIV on, be it Windows PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, or Mac, adventurers in Eorzea have enjoyed the ability to play together on the same servers. So, why on earth is the game not on Xbox One – especially when Final Fantasy titles past, present, and future have embraced the Xbox platform?
The question has been posed many times to director and producer Naoki Yoshida, and his responses highlight an enthusiasm to bring the game to Xbox, but that Microsoft’s policies would not allow other networks to interact with Final Fantasy XIV.
Here’s a bit from July 2013 where Yoshida chats with RPGSite’s Alexander Donaldson about the issue – one of his earliest comments on the subject:
The main reason from our side is that I don’t want the community to be divided; to be split into two or more. For example, one player might be on the PC version, another might be on the PS4 version, and I’m playing the Xbox version – but we’re not able to join the same game servers. That is just… I just don’t like the idea. I disagree with it,” [Source]
Fast forward to today, where Microsoft’s Chris Charla revealed the company is relaxing this policy.
“First, in addition to natively supporting cross-platform play between Xbox One and Windows 10 games that use Xbox Live, we’re enabling developers to support cross-network play as well. This means players on Xbox One and Windows 10 using Xbox Live will be able to play with players on different online multiplayer networks – including other console and PC networks.
Of course, it’s up to game developers to support this feature, and Xbox Live players will always have the option of choosing to play only with other Xbox Live players.” [Source]
While the ability for Xbox One users to toggle other networks on or off could be considered a noteworthy qualifier to Yoshida’s policy, it’s one step towards Final Fantasy XIV’s possible debut on the platform.
When could that be? Well, if you’ll allow me a bit of fun speculation, it seems the next expansion (currently deep in development) might be an opportune time to launch on a new platform. We’ll likely get the particulars on that at the Fan Festival later this year/early next. For now, my educated guess that Version 4.0 will be out some time in Spring 2017 based on the timing of post-release patches to Heavensward. We’ll see though!
Would you like to see Final Fantasy XIV come to Xbox One? Sound off in the comments below!
If you can’t wait until then, here’s why I think right now’s a great time to start playing. You can check out more of our Final Fantasy XIV coverage here or hit up our YouTube channel for the latest video content.
Final Fantasy XIV is now available for Windows PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and Mac. Patch 3.2: “The Gears of Change” launched February 23rd, which addes even more content to the Heavensward expansion.
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