Final Fantasy 16 Developer Hints at Nintendo Switch 2 Version

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After a long wait, Final Fantasy XVI was finally released on Xbox earlier this month. While Square Enix has yet to make any kind of a formal announcement, it seems the company might be planning to release the game on another platform. During a recent livestream (via Genki_JPN), the Xbox version of the game was briefly discussed. With Final Fantasy XVI available on PS5, PC, and now Xbox, producer Naoki “Yoshi-P” Yoshida noted that Nintendo is the last platform remaining that doesn’t have the game. Co-director Kazutoyo Maehiro followed that comment, noting “I want to do my best” and “I want to conquer it.”

It remains to be seen whether Square Enix would be able to deliver a version of Final Fantasy XVI on Nintendo Switch 2 that doesn’t feel like a major downgrade from the other versions. However, we’re already seeing third-party developers pull off games that would have been completely impossible on the original Switch. The best example so far is Cyberpunk 2077, which has already gained significant praise from players, and has released to strong sales. CD Projekt Red devoted a lot of time and effort into making a Switch 2 version that feels substantial and worth experiencing, and the developers have been rewarded as a result.

Final Fantasy XVI was initially released as a timed exclusive on PS5, but Square Enix is starting to move away from this practice. After multiple games failed to meet sales expectations, the publisher has started to place greater emphasis on multiplatform releases instead. We’ve already seen that benefit Xbox users, and we know of at least one former exclusive that will be coming to Nintendo Switch 2 later this year: Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade. Last month, that game’s co-director Naoki Hamaguchi stated that he has “high hopes that we can build a strong partnership between Nintendo and the Final Fantasy brand.”

Presumably, Hamaguchi was referring to bringing over the rest of the Final Fantasy Remake Trilogy to the system. However, porting another acclaimed Final Fantasy game to Nintendo Switch 2 would be a way to continue building that partnership. Of course, there are other options that would make sense on the system, including Final Fantasy XV; while the game’s Pocket Edition was released on Switch several years ago, the original has never been made available on a Nintendo platform.

With Nintendo Switch 2 now available, it’s a safe bet that we’re going to see a lot of games released on the system from several third-party publishers. Square Enix seems to have big plans for the future, but it remains to be seen whether Final Fantasy XVI will actually fit into those plans, or if it’s just wishful thinking on the part of Yoshi-P and Maehiro. We likely won’t learn more about those plans until after Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade arrives on the system.