Over on Reddit, Xbox fans on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S have described the experience of playing an RPG after waiting 11 years for it as “surreal.” While exclusivity isn’t as prominent as it used to be, it continues to lock certain games away from certain platforms. As an Xbox owner, you don’t expect to play the games PlayStation makes itself. However, PlayStation adds to these woes with a ton of third-party deals. In other words, paying teams outside of its umbrella for exclusivity. Compounding the issue is the fact that many Japanese-made RPGs have traditionally never sold well on Xbox consoles, and as a result, Japanese develoeprs and publishers will sometimes just opt to skip Xbox consoles entirely, no money from PlayStation needed. It is unclear where Square Enix’s Final Fantasy XIV fits into this equation, but 11 years after its intial release it is finally in open beta on Xbox Series X.
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For those unfamiliar with the 2013 RPG, it debuted via PC and PS3. In 2014, it came to PS4. 2015, it came to Mac. Then in 2021 it came to PS5. And now sometime in Q2 of this year it is scheduled to make its debut on Xbox with a release on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. Before this happens, it is in an open beta that began on February 21. Why do Xbox fans care about playing an MMO RPG after 11 years? Well, as you may know, it is pretty great, hence why it is not only relevant in 2024, but more popular than ever. It is also a series PlayStation has had on lock over the years, with only a few exceptions. Suffice to say, Xbox fans are enjoying the rare opportunity to dabble with the series.
“It’s surreal finally playing Final Fantasy XIV on Xbox after 10+ years, but I’m loving it,” reads a popular post over on the Xbox Series X Reddit page. “I used to play A Realm Reborn on PS3, but for a number of circumstances I ended up not really playing the game for many years and ended up playing mostly on my Xbox. I always hoped it would come but never really thought it would. My wife and I have been happily playing through the Xbox beta since it released, despite the annoying limitations on parties, and it’s just as great as I remember and I’m sure all the new content is far better!”
Judging by the votes up and the comments, many echo this sentiment. In fact, some of the comments do exactly that: “Im just glad we finally have an good MMORPG on Xbox to play now,” reads one of the top comments. “‘I’m having a lot of fun with FFXIV online, and I’m also glad u can play till level 70 for free, with the first two expansions for free.”
It remains to be seen just how many Xbox fans will take to the game when it releases in full later this year. Unfortunately, it requires an Xbox Game Pass Core or Ultimate membership to play, which could very well suppress its success on the pair of Xbox machines. Why it requires a membership when it doesn’t on other platforms, we don’t know.
