Square Enix is Interested in Final Fantasy 14 on Switch
By Dalton Cooper 20 February 2017
Square Enix producer Naoki Yoshida discusses the possibility of the popular MMORPG Final Fantasy 14 coming to Nintendo’s upcoming Nintendo Switch console.
Ever since the console’s reveal, Nintendo has insisted that the Nintendo Switch will have full third-party support. However, there have been numerous instances of companies coming out to say that some of the biggest third-party games on the horizon will not be releasing for Nintendo’s new system, which seems to contradict Nintendo’s claim. Nevertheless, some companies have not dismissed the Switch entirely, with Square Enix bringing a number of its games to the console – a lineup that may one day include the MMORPG Final Fantasy 14.
At the Final Fantasy Fan Festival in Germany, Square Enix producer Naoki Yoshida revealed to The Sixth Axis that a Nintendo Switch version of Final Fantasy 14 wasn’t out of the question. But for a Nintendo Switch version of Final Fantasy 14 to actually materialize, Nintendo would have to allow cross-play between it and versions of the game on PC and PS4, so that the community wouldn’t be segmented.
“The main limitation [is] that they absolutely don’t want to create a boxed off version of the game that can’t interact with the others. If that could be overcome then they’d be very interested in discussing a Switch port.”
Square Enix’s reasoning for not bringing Final Fantasy 14 to the Nintendo Switch right away makes sense. For an MMORPG to thrive, it needs to have a large community, and segmenting the community by console could be problematic. Since many fans already have the game on PC and PS4, it’s possible that those that picked up the Switch version could be dealing with a game with too small of a population to really do the Final Fantasy 14 experience justice.
Of course, this cross-play hurdle is what is keeping Final Fantasy 14 from coming to other platforms as well. As of the time of this writing, Sony still hasn’t given the go-ahead to allow PS4/Xbox One cross-play, but once it does, it’s reasonable to assume that we’ll see Final Fantasy 14 make its way to Xbox. For the game to come to the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo would also have to allow cross-play.
For all we know, cross-play between the Nintendo Switch and other consoles could already be in the cards for the console. Even though the Nintendo Switch is scheduled to launch in just a couple of weeks, we know very little about the system’s online services so far. We do know that it will bring back the Virtual Console and will require a subscription fee, but beyond that, the Nintendo Switch’s online services are largely a mystery.
As we near the system’s release, expect to learn more about its online services and whether or not it would be possible for it to have Final Fantasy 14 in its lineup of games. If Final Fantasy 14 doesn’t come to the Nintendo Switch, Switch owners can at least look forward to another Square Enix MMORPG on the system in the form of Dragon Quest 10, and if that does well, perhaps Square Enix will reconsider releasing a Switch-only version of the game.
Final Fantasy 14 is available now for PC and PS4.
