Square Enix hints Final Fantasy VII Rebirth could come to Xbox

Square Enix is signaling that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the PlayStation exclusive that launched this year, will not remain locked to Sony's console forever. In a December interview with IGN Brasil, two of the company's most senior figures—Naoki Hamaguchi, who directed Rebirth, and Yoshinori Kitase, who directed the original 1997 Final Fantasy VII and now oversees the entire franchise—discussed the game's commercial performance and what comes next.

Kitase offered a notably different assessment than Square Enix's own financial reports had suggested. While the company had previously stated that both Rebirth and Final Fantasy XVI underperformed expectations, Kitase described Rebirth's sales as "satisfactory and safe." More significantly, he articulated a strategic shift: the era of keeping major Final Fantasy titles on a single platform has ended. "With the modernity of gaming, we cannot be exclusive to a single platform," Kitase said. "I think we need to offer the game to as many players as possible."

That statement carries weight because it comes from someone who shapes the franchise's direction. It also arrives as Square Enix is already moving Rebirth to PC—a January 23, 2025 release date is locked in. But Kitase's language suggests the company is thinking beyond that. Hamaguchi has been even more explicit in recent interviews, telling GamesRadar that he wants to bring Final Fantasy VII and its remake series "to as many players out there as possible." In another conversation, he reiterated that 2025 would see the series reach more gamers, with a specific reminder about the PC version coming, but language that hints at other platforms in the pipeline.

The most obvious candidate is Xbox. Square Enix has been steadily expanding its Xbox presence over the past year. Final Fantasy XIV, the company's massively multiplayer online game, arrived on Xbox Series X and S. The Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection launched on Xbox and found substantial success there. Titles from the Mana series and the Dragon Quest HD-2D Remake have also made the jump. Other Square Enix developers have publicly expressed interest in bringing their games to Microsoft's platform—Naoki Yoshida, who directs Final Fantasy XIV, has stated he wants Final Fantasy XVI on Xbox, and Hamaguchi has identified himself as an Xbox fan.

Nintendo Switch 2 is another possibility, though less certain. What remains unclear is timing. Square Enix has not announced any Xbox or Switch versions of Rebirth or its predecessor, Final Fantasy VII Remake. The company is also currently developing the third and final game in the Remake series, which Hamaguchi said the team is working hard to make "a suitable finale."

For Xbox players, the wait has been long. The Final Fantasy VII Remake games have been PlayStation exclusives since Remake launched in 2020. Both titles have earned critical acclaim and strong fan appreciation despite their controversial departures from the original story's plot. Rebirth was even nominated for Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2024. The prospect of finally playing them on Xbox hardware is something the platform's community has been hoping for. Whether that hope becomes reality depends on Square Enix's willingness to follow through on what Kitase and Hamaguchi are now suggesting—and whether the economics of porting these demanding games to new platforms make sense.