They don't rule out a return to turn-based combat one day, though.
The Xbox version of Final Fantasy XVI has failed to enter the platform's top 20 paid games list, indicating weak launch sales performance.
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.
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.
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."
----
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).
Nothing worse than looking at & playing a nice looking game with good graphics but the visuals are blurry.
Square Enix has announced two new books which expand the lore and world of Final Fantasy XVI.
It needs to go back to turned base
Square always makes the mistake of thinking they know the market well when they are clueless.
Making the game a hack-and-slash or more action-oriented does not make it more appealing to the west.
If the game costs $100 Million, does mean you have to capture an audience that is not yours, try to introduce a combat system that changes the direction of the series.
Take From software, they know exactly what gamers expect from their games and they deliver exactly that.
Other examples include Atlus and Game freak...they do not stray from the established formulae, and they cultivate a loyal audience.
Square needs to dial it back with their main Final Fantasy and return back to turn-based combat, Devlier a great story akin to PS1-era FF and gives us a decent presentation. There is no reason why FF has to push boundaries and give us top of the line graphics. Apart from FF7, FF was known to be on point with their artstyle rather than top of the line graphics.
“ that we want to get this game in the hands of as many people as possible”
And there it is
It’s about potentially loosing sales despite the fact it’s FF and it would sell regardless
Yakuza Like a Dragon was turn based, so was Persona 5 and they did fantastic
So there’s no excuse really
There is no excuse, they wanted to try something new, well... kind of a hit and miss really
Bring back turn based
In a perfect world it would have both options and players could switch on the fly. I don't and never have played a Final Fantasy but I did try out and play Kingdom Hearts 1-2 and those are some of my most beloved game experiences and I can certainly say that I wouldn't have played it if it was turn based.
However , Final Fantasy is already established so they should keep things how the fans want and not risk losing their fan base when trying to potentially draw in a new crowd. Every game isn't for everyone.
Imagine this game, this setting, with turn based. Fingers crossed for FF9 remake to have turn based.