The MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV (PC, PS4) wants to be on Nintendo Switch and Xbox One. But there is one condition: Cross-Play. The community should stay together.
In an interview with the US site Kotaku, the head of the MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV, Naoki Yoshida, reaffirmed his desire to bring the MMORPG to additional platforms, such as Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.
Conversations with Mr. Phil Spencer and the upper management of Nintendo
According to Yoshida, they have had conversations with Mr. Phil Spencer from Microsoft and with the “upper management” of Nintendo. In every conversation, Yoshida stated: His condition for a port is that Final Fantasy XIV can be played together across all platforms. He wants “Cross-Platform Play” for Final Fantasy XIV.
Furthermore, it must be clear that the community on the individual platforms is also supported, even if it becomes smaller over time.
Yoshida wants to ensure that the way Final Fantasy XIV is developed works long-term on new platforms. He wants to make sure that partners do not alter anything over time that becomes a hurdle. The game should be able to be continuously patched and developed as Square Enix envisions.
Yoshida promises: We are persistent
Yoshida does not yet know if it will succeed in bringing Final Fantasy XIV to Xbox One or Nintendo Switch. However, he will be persistent in trying.
They want to keep pursuing these discussions continuously. If there is an agreement, a handshake between partners, the community will be informed. If no handshake occurs and an agreement is reached that nothing will happen, players will also be informed.
This could be a signal for the whole gaming world regarding what happens with Final Fantasy XIV
Mein-MMO says: Cross-Play means that all players, regardless of the platform, can play together or against each other across platforms. For players, this is only good – but platform owners seem hesitant to participate. Especially an industry leader who already has the most players on its platform benefits from a “closed system”:
Those who want to play with their friends must use the same system as they do. With Cross-Play, that wouldn’t matter, and one could play together despite different platforms.
As has been heard recently, it is therefore not Microsoft or Nintendo that are the problem regarding Cross-Play, but rather Sony, i.e., the PlayStation versions. If Naoki Yoshida succeeds with his persistence in reaching an agreement here, it could be a breakthrough for the whole gaming world, and other games might follow suit.
So everyone should keep their fingers crossed for the persistent game director of Final Fantasy XIV. However, it is not really likely that it will succeed. Thus, a port of Final Fantasy XIV to Xbox One has been a topic for years, but it is not progressing.
The title image is from the Australian site “Finder.”
More about the issues surrounding Cross-Play and Sony’s position:
No Cross-Play for PS4 because Sony wants to protect children
