‘It’s kind of exponentially increasing the amount of resources that need to be allocated’
In November 2019, Phil Spencer declared that Microsoft would bring Final Fantasy XIV for the Xbox platform.
It was a good decree, and if it really could interact with PC and PS4 (now also PS5), it would mean that even more people could venture out together in Eorzea. But it seems that this is a very difficult order for Square Enix, at least for now.
Speaking to The Washington Post, producer and general personality Naoki “Yoshi P” Yoshida explained that it is a question of resources. He puts it very clearly, stating: “We provide content on a very regular basis and our cycle is very condensed. And it is a very stable cadence that we continue to follow … we have to think about long-term planning with platforms, we need to additional testing for that particular platform, so the amount of resources that need to be allocated exponentially increases. ”
Of course, Yoshi P is talking about the recently revealed PS5 edition, which took priority. As well as any potential graphical improvements to the PC, which Square Enix spins for each expansion version.
I contacted Square Enix and Microsoft last year to see how the negotiations were going, and both offered an emphatic “no comment” on the situation. Now, at least, we have a hint as to why the partnership may not be happening after all. This has been on and off since 2016: it would be nice to see it finally resolved at some point.
It is strange to think about all the MMO problems that Microsoft has had over the years: we should have managed True Fantasy Live Online!
‘Final Fantasy XIV’ director discusses the challenges of building a game always online [The Washington Post]
