It's fitting that Phoenix features so prominently in the Final Fantasy XVI gameplay, revealed as a surprise timed-exclusive for PS5. As a recurring summon, Phoenix rarely receives the same love and attention that is traditionally afforded to the likes of Bahamut, Shiva, Titan, and, of course, Ifrit. But here it is, locking horns with the famed fire-elemental above a sleepy medieval city – a conflict so formative to the twin realms, in which this game is sure to cross, that it finds itself burned into the shimmering logo itself.
Where Naoki Yoshida and Hiroshi Takai were once tasked with casting Flames of Rebirth on a fledgling Final Fantasy XIV – a realm literally reborn from the ashes of a failed launch – the producer and director are now tasked with engineering an even trickier transformation: bringing Final Fantasy into the next generation. Phoenix isn't merely a dominant Eikon to the warring factions that make up the world of Final Fantasy XVI, it is also recognition of the enduring success of Final Fantasy XIV and a reflection of its impact behind the scenes at Square Enix.
Square Enix has been expanding its multiplatform releases, including Final Fantasy XVI. A port for the Nintendo Switch 2 may be on the menu.
I was about to make fun of this so hard until i read what you've said. I gotta agree, let them.
Making fun of games being more accessible to a larger audience only to strengthen the IP for all the fans in the long run is plain stupid! Let’s all keep it real , aside of Nintendo exclusives are pretty much a thing of the past with all of the games coming to Pc . If everything comes to PC and can be played everywhere on the go there’s no longer an incentive for one to hold dear to a brand in particular when they all end up being able to play the same games .
In principle there's nothing wrong with this. In reality this game struggles at times on the ps5, now with better optimisation that probably shouldn't be the case but then to go from there to running onnthe switch 2 which is similar innpower to a base ps4.... it is going to run like shit.
The Xbox version of Final Fantasy XVI has failed to enter the platform's top 20 paid games list, indicating weak launch sales performance.
Day One Release vs One year later release with zero marketing to build excitement/hype.
Both Xbox and SE should know better.
Also fewer than half the consoles sold compared to the PS5 so much smaller customer base.
I get that the game was older.
But so were Sea of Thieves and Forza Horizon when they came to playstation and those made it into the top download lists for awhile. So the coming a year later excuse doesn't really fly anymore.
look at stellar blade on PC. over a year later and it's already sold over a million copies. this has nothing to do with marketing or hype. the xbox audience, broadly speaking, just doesn't purchase games.
Excuses lol. Everyone already knew this would be the case. 90% of Xbox players don't buy games.
As other said, FH5, sea of thieves on PS5 topped the chart.
From reports I heard, seems SE rushed into porting FF XVI to Xbox hence performance has been less than satisfying.
Also it's digital only. No physical release on Xbox.
I already have it on PS5. I'd prefer to have it on Xbox but not going to re-buy it unless it's a physical copy.
Just points out once again bots don't buy games, even ones they have been crying about not having for yrs. Square is probably reassessing their move right now. Lol. Next new game they release will once again flop on xbox, except this time they wont be getting a bag from sony or dev help for optimizing the game either.
It’s a terrible game.. great start but everything else is shit from you meet Cid. Rhythm falls so low from there and never picks up
@obscured: “ Day One Release vs One year later release with zero marketing to build excitement/hype.”
Sure buddy that and an another account will make you sleep better 🤷🏿.
…..
Everyone know the reason is because it’s not on game pass therefore only the niche hardcore are going to buy this game and play it. Can someone remind my how are those OVER A YEAR OLD MS GAMES are doing on PlayStation release sales 🤦🏿
Weird it's Xbox/SE fault but same level of effort for games put on PS5 after years and they sell well.
Methinks the built-by-design system of subscription service and low hardware sales versus please-buy-our-games and much larger hardware sales might have something to do with this.
Well it was one of the stars on Xbox Showcase some weeks ago... it has had more marketing than hundreds of games this year.
or Xbox users are just not interested in Final Fantasy, It is not hard to see that they have been with PlayStation since PS1. This was always a fools errand for Square Enix. Lesson learned I guess.
Yup and it can't be because it's a "old game". Apparently everyone wanted these titles on Xbox. They got them and sold terrible.
Yer Playstation fans got access to a 6 year old sea of thieves and over 600k bought it. Then when Forza release spite it being a 4 year old game still sold 1.4+ million on playstation.
Imo majority of Xbox fans are conditioned to solely rely on rentals these days.
If it ain't on gamepass, they ain't interested.
Great job MS for training most of your player base to not want to actually buy games, maybe SE will realise releasing FF on xbox isn't somehow going to help them match their exaggerated sales targets. Hopefully remake fairs better, probably will on Switch 2 at least.
You realize it got most of its sales on PS5 right? Not even the PC version did all that well. One platform will take most of the sales as it had moat of the hype.
It also has like, no positive word of mouth.
Nearly two years late and the worst modern title in the franchise, who actually wants to play it?
No game, especially a AAA one, deserves strong sales after taking years to arrive on a platform and still asking the same price as everywhere else. You can’t just ignore a platform for that long and then expect people to be excited by the release. That cycle came and went already, there is no hype for it anymore.
Either you're all in from the start or you're not. This lazy, bare-minimum approach of tossing out a late port and calling it a day shouldn't be rewarded. If you're not willing to respect the platform, don't bother showing up at all.
But the formerly exclusive Xbox games like Forza Horizon enjoyed great sales on PS even after years past their initial release.
Your references to deserving and "shouldn't be rewarded" implies that gamers are buying games based on some moral platitude that simply doesn't exist in practice.
Gamers buy games because they want to play them.
Nah, it implies how it should be. If gamers weren't the dumbass consumer class around, being played like freaking dumbass because they can't get over the hype for a freaking second and think if that purchase even make sense.
@Tacoboto
"Who is asking to play FF XVI though? It's a bad Final Fantasy"
Wasn't there whining about big bad Sony making Final Fantasy 16 and 7 remake exclusive "forever" during the whole Activision deal?
If XVI was a good game, yes I'd fault Xbox gamers that wanted it and didn't buy it. But it's not and the Xbox port is the worst version. Gamers buy games because they want to play them.
VII Remake - great game, they should throw their money behind it. But again, uphill battle now as you're expecting people to buy a game over half a decade old, not just two years old.
The longer you wait, the more people jump ship from Xbox, the fewer people there are who don't already have access to these games.
This is EXACTLY why they wouldn't and shouldn't bother im the first place. I can't remember which FF game launched on Xbox with the Switch and Playstation version and ONLY did 4% sales on Xbox. So lets not pretend these sales would have been better because if you believe that you are absolutely delusional
"Either you're all in from the start or you're not. This lazy, bare-minimum approach of tossing out a late port and calling it a day shouldn't be rewarded. If you're not willing to respect the platform, don't bother showing up at all."
Weird. How come you don't say the same about Xbox studio games that show up some YEARS/DECADES later as well?
Sea of Thieves
Grounded
Forza Horizon 5
Pentiment
Hi Fi Rush
Gears of War
Mostly at full price and selling well. Oh right doesn't fit your BS narrative
Sony and Square have a deal where the game remains a timed exclusive everybody knows that. The game appearing on Xbox means the time is up. The only thing between the two games is one is at full price and the other game is all ready half the price.
I will say it does have its flaws, but it also has unforgettable moments! Some of the highest "highs" in gaming I've ever experienced in my 28 years of playing games.
It is simply phenomenal.
@repsahj - Whaaa-?? I absolutely loved the ending! I just didn't love some of the middle sections of the game. The slower areas where it felt kind of boring between the main story beats.
Wait but I was told by Xbox fans that they support FF and these franchises? Weird. Shocked
Honestly, if you're a JRPG fan, you're going to own a PS5, Switch or PC. Only benefit of owning an Xbox for JRPGs is all the money you save by not having any games to spend it on.
I'm an xbox owner although I spend much more time on my PC & Switch 2 these days. I let my gamepass sub expire but I regularly talk to friends who still play a lot on xbox and GP. Recently GP has been amazing for RPG fans, it has Metaphor: Refantazio and Expedition 33. I buy physical and I take ages completing games so GP isnt for me at all.
For FF 16 the timing is very poor, it has to complete with the best 2 JRPG's in the past 2 years which are part of a very popular sub.
Final Fantasy XVI runs at a lower resolution on Xbox Series X compared to PS5, maintaining stable 60 FPS but with visual compromises.
"While the PS5 version maintains superior resolution and visual fidelity, it cannot consistently deliver the same frame rate stability, especially in its Performance mode. Even the more powerful PS5 Pro struggles to keep frame rates within its VRR window when the action intensifies.
For players who prioritize performance above visual quality, the Xbox Series X version may offer appeal due to its stable frame rate. However, those seeking the best graphical presentation may find the lower resolution and various graphical compromises on Xbox a drawback. Digital Foundry concluded that while the port is serviceable in its current form, several issues, such as broken foliage rendering and contrast imbalance, remain in need of technical refinement."
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As someone who prefers better framerate over visuals, it seems the X has the edge over PS5 in that department. But it apparently comes at the cost of more degraded visuals than one would imagine in this case. Perhaps it has not been fully optimized for the X yet, as the article also pointed out that this port perhaps derived from the PC version rather than the PS5 version. We'll see what the future brings (if anyone cares lol).
That's always my preference as well. More importantly, I prefer a smoother, stable framerate more than simply hitting higher framerates. But I do like it to look pretty as well lol.
Yeah im not really a graphics 304. I feel like graphics has hit its peak and prioritizing graphics over gameplay has made games less enjoyable.
@andy85 - Yeah, the performance mode was definitely the way to go. I guess with everything going on in battles, I never noticed the lower dynamic resolution kicking in. I was kind of stunned to hear how much the resolution drops when in battles.
I just wish the PC port had been good... I was getting 100 FPS in some areas, and under 30 in others no matter how I configured settings. Sad that Square-Enix has such an awful reputation for their PC ports.
it depends.
720p on my 75 inch tv aint pretty at all lol
but this is hardly a hardware issue but a square enix issue.
the games pretty but there isnt a whole lot going on in general in the game, outside of battles
Nothing worse than looking at & playing a nice looking game with good graphics but the visuals are blurry.
I cross my finger, i love the saga and i really like FFXIV (and i loved very much FFVIIR).
The question is: will the game be available in the next 10 years or...? :P
Still waiting for more news about the second episode of FFVIIR. :/
Not a fan of the realistic medieval setting honestly
I don't like the graphics. It works fine for FF14 as an MMO, but for a next gen single player Final Fantasy I was expecting more. Even the FFVII remake look better than this.
Well it is news to me that XIV is successful. I'm one of those XI crazy people, and XIV never did it for me... well no mmo does it for me after XI
Stop reinventing the wheel and go back to what made the first ten games good.