Update as of 7/29/2023:

During FFXIV Fan Fest 2023, a surprise appearance by Xbox Boss Phil Spencer sent the crowd and Xbox faithful into a frenzy and announced that, after much clamor from fans, FFXIV is finally headed to Xbox and is currently scheduled in Spring 2024.

Spencer was on stage with Yoshi-P and Square Enix CEO Takashi Kiryu to announce that the hugely-popular MMO is coming to Xbox Series S and X and will include 4K support (Series X) and faster loading times, coinciding with the release of the new Dawntrail expansion.

Spencer also made mention to “look forward to partnering closely with Square Enix on future games.”

Original:

Many would argue that the proper way to play Final Fantasy XIV and farm FFXIV Gil is to play the game on PC, but the MMO is also available on PlayStation 4 and 5. In 2019, Phil Spencer made headlines, stating that he’s committed to bringing the multi-awarded online game to Xbox during a media presentation at the X019 event in London.

Fast forward three years later, and there’s still no sign of that happening. When asked about the status of the Xbox version during September 2022’s Game Watch, Spencer replied that he still hasn’t given up trying to bring Square Enix’s hugely popular MMO to Xbox platforms. He further commented by saying this is a commitment from Square Enix and Microsoft and that they’ll continue to coordinate their efforts.

How FFXIV Planted Its Roots On the Console Platform

Final Fantasy XIV initially launched in 2010 on PC and PlayStation 3. Later, the MMO came to the PS4 and, subsequently, PS5. Before the PS3 launch, an Xbox 360 version was in the works, but ultimately, Microsoft’s policies concerning cross-platform servers prevented it from launching on the said platform. This meant the now successful MMO has not launched on any Xbox console, making the process of creating an FFXIV account on the platform impossible.

Thankfully, Microsoft has turned a new leaf over this and started welcoming more Final Fantasy games to their already massive Xbox Game Pass library. We’ve seen FF titles such as the (unfairly) misaligned Final Fantasy XIII added to the extensive Game Pass, which shows that Microsoft is indeed interested in having more of the games on the service.

Why Final Fantasy XIV Didn’t Come to Xbox in the First Place

As we’ve said before, the main reason an Xbox 360 or Xbox One version of Final Fantasy XIV didn’t come to be in the first place is Microsoft’s policies for Xbox Live. When Naoki Yoshida, the director of FFXIV, was interviewed about this on RPG Site, he stated that he didn’t want the community to be divided—to be split into two or more. Yoshi-P didn’t like the idea of not being able to join the same game servers as the game’s PlayStation and PC counterparts. He then made a bold statement by saying there are now so many mobile devices like smartphones these days, and that is why someone would stick to just one platform from the hardware aspect.

Yoshida explained that he wanted to have as many players enjoy Final Fantasy XIV worldwide, and from a business standpoint, it makes sense to have the game on the Xbox platform to accomplish this. However, the FFXIV director also mentioned he wouldn’t want someone to give up their existing character just for them to play on the green console.

A Stalemate

Phil Spencer says they haven’t given up on porting FFXIV to the Xbox, but what’s Yoshida’s perspective about all this?

Although no new platforms have been announced, Naoki Yoshida has said he’s been speaking with Spencer about resolving the platform issues. When WCCftech interviewed him back in 2019, Yoshida told them that part of the issue was crossplay and Microsoft’s restrictions concerning online multiplayer content.

There are two regulations made by Microsft which stand in the way of making crossplay viable. According to Naoki Yoshida, unless these regulations are “rejected,” there’s nothing to discuss. One of the regulations is that players on different platforms cannot chat with each other in the game; if you can’t chat with one another, how can you play the MMO in the first place?

The other regulation is that you can’t make a community with players on a different platform. This means that you can’t form a guild, you won’t get to have a free company, nor can you enter into a link shell if you’re playing FFXIV on Xbox. Yoshida said they were ready to do crossplay at any time—they’re merely waiting for Microsoft to change their regulations.

From this angle, we can see that everything lies on Microsoft regarding whether they want Final Fantasy 14 to be part of their ever-growing Game Pass. We can’t say whether Spencer and his team are willing to ease their restrictions, but for now, we know that we’re looking at a stalemate.

Is There Still Hope?

Unfortunately, neither side is willing to back down to see the MMO finally making that jump to the Xbox Series S and X. Players hoping to farm FFXIV Gil on the Xbox platform will have to wait a bit longer until Microsoft and Square Enix find an alternate solution. If you ever want to play Final Fantasy 14 on consoles, Sony’s PlayStation 5 is your best bet.