Nintendo and the Final Fantasy franchise have had a long and rocky relationship. The series started life on the NES before moving over to Game Boy and Super Nintendo. However, Square’s decision to support the original PlayStation over Nintendo 64 led to a rift that lasted several years. Eventually, Nintendo and Square Enix were able to patch things up, and the last two decades have seen more Final Fantasy games make the jump to platforms like Switch. With Switch 2 releasing this year, it looks like Square Enix sees an opportunity to build the Final Fantasy audience back up again on Nintendo platforms.
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In a new episode of Nintendo’s Creator’s Voice series, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade director Naoki Hamaguchi talked about the game’s impending Switch 2 release. Hamaguchi mentions how Switch 2 will make the game a more interactive experience than before, thanks to the portability of the system. Hamaguchi envisions people playing the game on trains, and showing one another cut scenes. He also mentioned Switch 2’s new GameChat feature, which will allow players to experience the game alongside their friends. Most interestingly, Hamaguchi wrapped the video on a note hinting that Switch 2 could see more Final Fantasy support.
“I have high hopes that we can build a strong partnership between Nintendo and the Final Fantasy brand,” said Hamaguchi.
Beyond Final Fantasy VII Remake, there are a lot of major games that Square Enix could bring over to Nintendo Switch 2. The most obvious options are recent games such as Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Final Fantasy XVI. Final Fantasy XV might even be a possibility, given that only the Pocket Edition has been released for Switch. There’s also Final Fantasy XIV, which finally saw release on Xbox platforms last year. As of this writing, Final Fantasy VII Remake does not have a release date on Nintendo Switch 2 just yet, so we might have to wait a bit longer to find out what Square Enix will bring to the platform next.
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The relationship between Nintendo and Square Enix has clearly come a long way over the years; at one point, the best Nintendo fans could hope for was an occasional spin-off like Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, or a port of a game from the SNES era. However, Square Enix is moving away from its model of largely supporting PlayStation at the expense of those gaming on other platforms. The company’s exclusivity deals with Sony have not worked out well, and with multiple games underperforming expectations, Square Enix has been upfront about its multiplatform plans. Those plans already seem to be benefiting Nintendo fans in a pretty big way!
Are you excited to see more Final Fantasy games on Nintendo platforms? What games do you think Square Enix should bring over next? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky atย @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram atย @Dachampgaming!
