The release of Final Fantasy kicks off this year’s top releases. The newest installment in the franchise had fans on edge for a while, particularly after the PlayStation Showcase held at the end of May. With the game’s release, there is extensive debate about it being a PlayStation exclusive. It seems, however, there is new information about how the title became a limited-time exclusive for PlayStation.

Xbox Games Studio CEO Phil Spencer confirmed Sony paid to ensure Final Fantasy 16 skips out on Xbox Series X and S consoles.

Sony paid to keep Final Fantasy 16 off Xbox consoles

It was no secret Final Fantasy 16 was a PlayStation exclusive. While not entirely exclusive, it remains so for a limited period of six months. The port to PC is expected to release early next year. Most fans assumed this to be part of Sony’s strategy, especially since Final Fantasy 7’s remake did not launch on Xbox. As per Xbox Games CEO Phil Spencer, however, Sony paid to keep it from releasing on Xbox consoles at launch.

As Final Fantasy 16 is a limited exclusive, Xbox fans cannot play it on their consoles. The game is only available on PlayStation, giving Sony an edge over its rivals, especially courtesy of the launch . Even though it will launch on Xbox later, there is a chance the sales may not do as well.

READ MORE: “Any Bad News for Torgal I Will Riot”-Final Fantasy 16 Community Scared About Spoilers as Pictures of PlayStation 5 Copy Appear Online

These reports emerge amidst Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The $69.7 billion dollar deal is currently in court. Microsoft has until 18th July to close the deal, or face heavy consequences: renegotiate the terms or pay Activision Blizzard $3 billion. The matter went to court after the FTC filed an injunction to block the deal.

During his testimony, Spencer elaborated on Sony’s strategy, saying “Every time we ship a game on PlayStation, Sony captures 30 percent of the revenue that we do on their platform and then they use that money among other revenue that they have to do things to try to reduce Xbox’s survival on the market.”

Some speculate the reason Microsoft purchased ZeniMax Media, the developers behind Starfield, was to keep it from turning into a PlayStation exclusive.

Fans were not happy with the news. A large part of this comes from Sony being among the top voices against the Activision deal. Fans simply gave their views as gamers, calling out exclusives as the reason that gamers divide themselves. These exclusives became one of the biggest selling points for each console. Sony and Microsoft have each acquired different studios in the past in a bid to have more exclusives for their consoles.

As for Microsoft, they are set to go to court in the UK as well later in July.

What do you think of Spencer’s reveal about Sony making Final Fantasy 16 a timed exclusive? Let us know in the comments below!

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