Octopath Traveler 2's Glowing Reviews Make The Xbox Situation Even More Painful

Square Enix seems ... sort of done with Xbox except for some random and cheap to make re-releases like Crisis Core. Some final fantasy games came and went in games pass, Forspoken and FF16 are PS5 exclusives, the Remake of FF7 and Pixel Remaster games are nowhere to be seen.

My only guess is that the games sold poorly and gained no traction when they were in Game Pass.

It is a shame really...

What’s weird is PlayStation still doesn’t even have the first Octopath Traveler but Xbox does. Wonder if Sony paid them to keep it off Xbox this time around.

Sure it's coming.
I played the first one in Switch, but now I'll wait for the Xbox version.

I mean, the Xbox has a lot of GREAT games to play; there’s no reason to be bummed it doesn’t have every game or looking at the other consoles jealously.

Square Enix has always been a company that seems to bond with one platform. They ignored Sega Genesis for Nintendo SNES. They switched from N64 to be almost strictly PlayStation. They ignored Dreamcast, Xbox, and most of the Xbox family’s consoles. It’s not like they were ever best buds with MS.

My guess is the games they brought over to Xbox and Gamepass were trial balloons and didn’t see the returns they hoped for, especially for a console that doesn’t have a strong foothold in Japan. Games cost money and time to port and they probably determined it just wasn’t worth it in every case.

Unfortunately not every console is going to have it all. If you want JRPGs, fighters, and big-budget storyline-driven games you’re probably going to want a PS5. If you want shooters, racers, and multiplayer games you get an Xbox. And if you want wild “can’t-get-these-experiences-anywhere-else” you get a Switch. Or if you have the means — I strongly suggest getting all 3. Then you can just enjoy each platform for their great catalogues, including Xbox

I don't think square thinks they can sell jrpg games on Xbox. They seem to have a gamepass or nothing stance for alot of their xbox releases.

@belmont you can't blame Xbox users as Square Enix always have stupid sale targets & there support has been rather pathetic. As like you said there new titles were scraps which I purchased to show support or two year old ports of Nintendo exclusives which if people wanted to play them badly they already have. Again I purchased to show support. But I guess the reason SquareEnix haven't got anything planned is because Microsoft haven't opened there cheque book.

@senote I know COVID has warped my sense of time, but I’m pretty sure FF7R didn’t come out 10 years ago.

who cares about SE (and FF7 is my third time all favorite game) there are far far better companies than them. Let them pursue their marriage with Sony.

@uptownsoul The only thing I blame Sony for is buying up Final Fantasy. As I'm sure Crisis Core sold poorly on Xbox & possibly Switch as most were scratching there head as to why buy it if they weren't getting the rest. I did though. Another that I think would do well on Xbox is Final Fantasy 14. But if Square Enix don't want our money there are plenty of other Japanese companies like Atlus, Capcom, Bandai Namco & Sega to name a few who do.

At some point in the very near future, I am sure that Square Enix will be a Sony acquisition, so I would not expect to see too many games coming to Xbox anymore.

@EvenStephen7 I swear you'll be the only one who makes a rational realistic comment on this subject lol

@somnambulance I'm a Square Enix fan but them having literally nothing so far in 2023 looks like the nail in the coffin for Xbox support unless the rumoured Final Fantasy Tactics or Final Fantasy 9 remake get announced for Xbox which I very much doubt. Even the mobile ports of Final Fantasy 1-6 is bypassing us. So to be fair if Sony announced they were buying Square Enix tomorrow I wouldn't be disappointed as at least we'd know where we stand then.

@Doublecell Haha I appreciate it. I don’t know if my wife would agree I’m either “rational” or “realistic” but maybe I’m capable of it every once in a while.

@senote ff7 remake came out 2020

I think the 1st didn't do well on xbox bc of GP honestly. I still need to give the original a try myself, but more than likely on switch. Especially due to the portability.

They cost money and time to port to another platform. These games have a Windows version, which is the same OS that runs on Xbox. If Square Enix games are available on Windows and not on Xbox, it's because someone is paying to keep them off Xbox, which is why Sony don't want to reveal their agreements in court.

I really like Octopath but never finished it. It felt like 8 separate stories and they had no reason to team up, it was a little bizarre. 2 skipping Xbox doesn’t bother me, I can pick it up on another system. Maybe the first just didn’t sell well on Xbox, it was also on Gamepass so maybe numbers weren’t good. Who knows or even cares with SE these days.

It will come to Xbox eventually when the exclusivity, I mean, exclusion deals expire. Same for the Final Fantasy games, unless Sony acquires Square Enix. That's unlikely considering that Square Enix bought back what Sony once had, sold the Western studios and don't seem to want to be acquired at the moment. Didn't someone here define them as bitches? That's probably how they do things now.

@Banjo- I admit I don’t know for sure, but I imagine there are licensing/platform fees, additional Q&A/play testing, and other odds and ends to port over. But I may be wrong.

Its crazy how people just jump to 'its Sony'. Some people need to take a step back honestly its sad to see. Xbox had the first one. probably couldnt do a deal. SE may have priced themselves out of games pass? The original maybe didnt do well enough for Microsoft to want a deal. we havent seen any numbers or anything else to know the reasons.

@EvenStephen7 It's the same platform, they just have to add a few lines of code to define console and settings, as explained by some first-party developers. Some Xbox games are literally the "Windows version" if you check the file name.

@Banjo- I think we’re disconnected on what I’m saying but all good to know.

@uptownsoul exactly! It would make sense for Sony to pay to keep it off Nintendo as this game is a jrpg and its main market is Japan and their only rival in Japan is Nintendo. Whilst in the west there's no need to pay for smaller jrpgs as playstation is the main platform for those anyway.

And then there's the situation with Octopath Traveler 1 which didn't even release on playstation but came to xbox, then there's outriders and dragon quest 11s which arrived on gamepass day one. Just seems like some people have an obsession with hating sony.

There's a LOT of developers, especially in Japan, who aren't seeming to be giving XBOX a fighting chance.

Nippon Ichi did a poorly optimized Windows-only build of Disgaea 4 Complete, where the online just did not work for most of it's Game Pass run, and otherwise, every single game they've developed is Windows/Switch/Playstation.

It's almost like some strange thing is going on, despite Microsoft's TGS claims of approaching Japanese developers, where someone's getting there first and asking them to politely exclude Microsoft.

The fact that Microsoft found a partial exclusion clause in the paperwork for Call Of Duty... and Sony are trying to keep some of their documents secret... makes me think Sony's done similar to with FF7 Remake with practically every single game they can out of the country.

Well, they don't see Nintendo as a threat.

@cragis0001 To be fair to Microsoft they probably gave Square Enix a good check to have all FF from 7 to 13-3 in Game Pass but seems they got no traction.

Seems that Sony bought the 7 Remake and 16 but seems that jrpg players are mostly on Playstation and PC

Huh, I though the game already on xbox.

@Sebatrox Reading the comments it seems to be so people can blame Sony. Meanwhile im here busy playing the great games Microsoft do have.

Can’t blame people for blaming Sony when paying for Xbox’s exclusion is literally what they do. In all honesty I don’t think that is the case with this one since it seems kind of unnecessary. But in general Sony can usually be blamed for this crap.

@belmont I agree that Microsoft gave Square Enix cash for the back catalogue of Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Dragon Quest 11 & Octapath Traveler. I feel asking full price for ports that are at least 2 years old never helped & again SE unrealistic sale targets. But could be wrong.
As for 7 remake & 16 they'd more likely to be more successful which is a shame.

@EvenStephen7 You said that porting to Xbox is expensive and takes time, that's what I quoted and what I replied to.

@Banjo- I know, I’m saying there’s more to it than just code.

@uptownsoul I'm well aware of the issues that had kept Final Fantasy 14 off Xbox. As I used to play on PC. But if I remember correct cross chat, paying for live for free & subscription games etc were a few sticking points But considering Phil Spencer said last year it's still coming & the producer said in 2021 that it was an issue of resources that was preventing an Xbox release as they were working on a PS5 port. So maybe when they drop PS4 support. Who know at this point & that's what is the most annoying.

@Moonglow Right, not to mention that the game had already been released. The money for the Xbox version was on top of the money from the Windows and the Switch versions. Sega said a few days ago that sales after launch is another kind of revenue and Game Pass is the same for games like Yakuza or Octopath Traveller, both featured in the Most Popular list when they were added. They were successful on Game Pass and the money that developers get for Game Pass is an agreed amount that Square Enix and Sega accepted plus engagement revenue. When there's a Windows version, an Xbox version is basically free money whether the game is sold on the store or played on Game Pass.

@awp69 I don’t know how Sony paid it to keep it off Xbox when this game came to Switch as well. And the Switch is the console that JRPGs tend to sell well on.

Final Fantasy 16 is another one not on Xbox and that game looks incredible. If the combat has improved since FF7 remake and the game is not as padded then that could seriously be something special.

@Kaloudz Microsoft requested those documents to be included in the process. Perhaps not before but, once the trial takes place, Sony will be forced to show those exclusion agreements in court if they're considered relevant as they obviously are. Those exclusions agreements that specifically target Xbox will be revealing...

@Kaloudz there's no reason sony would have to reassure regulators, Microsoft didn't have to when they got Bethesda, and they won't have to with Activision apart from call of duty.

So if sony were to get square enix they would not be expected to release new games on Xbox or Nintendo consoles.

@anoyonmus Because in many cases, it has been reported that Sony specifically excludes Xbox and not PC and Switch.

@Banjo- please show these "Many" Reported cases that sony paid for xbox exclusion. Only one ever reported was Resident Evil 8, and that was only the exclusion from gamepass and not from xbox in general.

@UltimateOtaku91 Resident Evil 8 {Game Pass), PS Now (Xbox browser is the only browser in the world excluded), Final Fantasy VII Remake, Final Fantasy VII Intergrade, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Final Fantasy XVI, Forspoken, Bethesda's games before the acquisition, Call of Duty (content, early access), Silent Hill... and many more.

@Moonglow Nintendo are another platform that take sales away from playstation by having the same games, in this case octopath traveler 2 in which will sell better on nintendo consoles whereas Sony would get more money from sales if it was not on nintendo consoles.

Hence making Nintendo Sony's Competitor. Just because sony have a more powerful console means nothing, they are both operating in the console market, both in the NPD sales for consoles and software, both paying third party publishers for exclusive software and timed deals to better each other. They are in competition.

@Banjo- so the resident evil game is literally the only reported case of sony secretly paying for xbox exclusion. The rest are either timed deals in which xbox dabble a lot in too or exclusive perks for a multiplayer game. Both of which are known to everyone including the public, from trailers etc.

@UltimateOtaku91 So, according to a member of the Sony fanboys four-member squadron that spend half of their days on an Xbox website, the reported agreements of Xbox exclusion and moneyhatting practices by Sony are not real. Why they don't want to reveal all their agreements in court, I wonder... By the way, do you know what "reported" means? It's the opposite of "secret".

@uptownsoul I know, the hypocrisy is unreal. They also seem to forget games like the medium, tomb raider, stalker 2, high on life, roblox, ark 2, the gunk and many more that they have paid millions for timed deals.

@Banjo- it was secret because it wasn't public knowledge, we all found out because it was leaked, do you know what it means when something gets leaked? They call it a leak as it was meant to be a secret at that time.

@Moonglow in terms of ABK yes as its all about call of duty which is not on nintendo consoles. If the case was about apex legends, minecraft, or Square enix games then Nintendo would definitely be brought up in the case and be against the deal.

@UltimateOtaku91 You're mixing things up when you replied. I said reported and you answered "the only case of secretly paying..." as if the reported cases were secret. I didn't say secret but reported agreements but, now that you mention these practices in the shadows, I wonder why Sony doesn't want to reveal their documents in court...

@Banjo- yes because that's resident evil document was the only reported case of sony paying for xbox exclusion (gamepass) and the only reason it was reported was because it was leaked. From the original comment you made I thought you were referencing deals like that and not the normal timed exclusive deals sony do.

@UltimateOtaku91 So it hasn't been reported that Sony has been moneyhatting Square Enix, Activision and Bethesda, three of the biggest publishers in the world? They are thousands of articles about it everywhere. Do you realise how ridiculous your comments are?

@awp69 spot on

@Banjo- there's nothing to report is what I meant, it's known to everyone straight away in trailers that they are playstation timed exclusives or exclusive add on content. They weren't exactly trying to hide it. Paying for open timed exclusivity is different from paying for xbox exclusion behind the scenes.

@uptownsoul most of sales will come out of the console with the most consoles sold (switch), they would have had to fork out too much money to get it exclusive

@Moonglow originally I wasn't talking about ABK, I was talking about in general they are competitors in the same market in reference to octopath traveler. You're the one who brought up the ABK deal.

@Kaloudz Microsoft explained the case by case and basically they meant only online multiplayer games like elder scrolls online and fallout 76 that reached a wider community.

@UltimateOtaku91 Your argument is extremely weak so you focus if it has been reported, revealed or however you want to call it, the important thing is that Sony pays the most important publishers in the world for excluding Xbox; your narrative is not consistent (as someone said earlier) and your tone is hypocritical on Pure Xbox and utterly extreme on Push Square.

@Kaloudz Sony could of contested the Bethesda deal if they wanted but for some reason they didn't, with ABK it's different as it involves call of duty which brings playstation revenue of over a billion. Its all about the money, if call of duty had been on Nintendo all these years and brought them similar revenue then they would also be against the deal, massive multiplayer games are more important than single player games due to the money they bring in, a game on playstation or Nintendo could sell 20 million copies and still not bring in what call of duty does yearly. That's why playstation didnt care about the Bethesda deal, although their fan base did.

@Moonglow I agree that Nintendo isn't a factor in the Activision case due to call of duty not being on their consoles so why would they care. But if Sony or Microsoft were to buy square enix or capcom then I'd guarantee nintnedo would be there trying to stop the deal.

@Kaloudz My understanding is that Sony won't be forced to show anything until the judge estimates the information relevant but I assume that in court they will have to admit and show that they pay the biggest publishers (including ABK, Square Enix and Bethesda before the acquisition) to exclude Xbox or to destroy platform parity, which is exactly what Sony is accusing Microsoft of, unless the judge is a massive Sony fanboy like some guys here...

@uptownsoul I can't believe people think nintendo and Sony are competitors 😑

If they weren't competitors then why did nintendo have to pay to have octopath traveler 1 as a timed exclusive to begin with? Why did nintendo pay to have monster hunter rise as a timed exclusive?

Maybe we’re all wrong and it will be surprise GamePass drop next week.

@awp69 If only. Not next week but I think that after one year it'll hit Xbox.

@Kaloudz I get you. If the acquisition goes through and some games stay multiplatform because of fair competition, Microsoft should ask for the same if Sony acquires Square Enix. However, I don't think that Sony will acquire Square Enix for the reasons I posted above.

@somnambulance With that I agree because it's what I explained above about Game Pass and sales.

@uptownsoul yep, the same people jumping for joy when xbox bought Bethesda, when xbox bought ABK, when xbox got tomb raider timed exclusivity. The same people who also constantly bash playstation for sqaure enix deals.

I swear, these comments sections are like a puzzle to me because I put our PlayStation friend Otaku on ignore a long time ago and didn’t look back 😂

@Kaloudz that would all depend on Microsoft, if microsoft deemed sony buying square enix as having a major effect on their revenue then yeah I'd expect them to contest the deal. Or Microsoft may think pffft we hardly get anything from sqaure enix games anyway so let sony have them.

That's the thing with all these acquisitions large and small, they can be contested but it's just if it's worth it, and with ABK sony obviously think it's worth it.

@Fenbops if you put me on ignore then I wouldn't see your comments either...... 😏

Feels like I've stumbled into Nintendo Life with an article like this...

@UltimateOtaku91 You're wrong, that's blocking.

@Kaloudz Of course! That's why they don't even answer ABK or Microsoft, because they think that being silent is the best strategy for stopping the acquisition. They might be right about the media circus but they forget that they can't play games in court when they're the ones accusing and involving the whole world in their self interest.

Perhaps, Microsoft doesn't need and doesn't have the right to read the documents but the judge will. The first article reported that Microsoft didn't ask for any documents to be shown to them but in court, because they know that's the correct way. If the trial is about competition, the agreements that we all know that exist because we have suffered them, will be considered relevant in court. Sony can blame Microsoft all they want but Sony will have to show their true colours at the same time at the same place.

@Kaloudz who is saying Sony buying SE would lead to more SE games on Xbox? That is ridiculous. If Sony buy someone it’s expected that games are then Playstation exclusive no questions asked. When MS buy someone it’s expected that they won’t be exclusive and people cause a commotion.

That’s how it is, it’s very simple.

@Fenbops I might be wrong but I think he was being slightly sarcastic because Sony expects Microsoft's games to be on PS5.

@Kaloudz SE is not the size of ABK, so the scrutiny would be far smaller. hypothetically if it was Sony buying ABK (obv cant because size and cost) Microsoft would be opposing it just as hard as Sony are. would be nieve for people to think otherwise.
Microsoft would have expected Sony to fight like they are - regardless of what they say on twitter. Thats Just to rile up the fanboys, has no bearing on the outcome.

I swear, the console warrior stuff that happens on Pure Xbox and Push Square….

Wish the sites would do more crossover stuff like others. You’re always going to have little weirdos worshiping brands but it’d might help a little (and be fun for us that just like, ya know, videogames).

@Kaloudz Like you said once, it's like I have a wire connected to your brain 😁. I feel exactly the same, at this point what I want to know is what Sony has been paying to Bethesda, Activision, Square Enix, etc. to specifically exclude Xbox because, after the trial, all that information will be known somehow. Then, whether the acquisition goes through or not, Microsoft at least will know everything about those deals and how to deal with them. They will probably not be so nice as before, like you said.

@Kaloudz #105 Yes Microsoft would be able to put offers in - SE chase the money, also have high sales targets and hit and miss games. Its more likely SE and Xbox just dont fit each other.

Anyway im off to do some gaming, im going to leave the people who have spent 4hours defending their favourite box to it, enjoy your evening.

@Banjo-
Dont you want to know all deals Microsoft does to keep games off Playstation?
Bur Im guessing when Microsoft does it it is good and when Sony it is bad.
Either you go after both or none.

@Kaloudz
It is not up to Microsoft if Sony buys something or not.
Same as it is not Sony that are making this happening since regulaters would check this deal anyway. But not funny when you cant trash Sony for it.

@Kaloudz I would laugh if Sony bought SE and had to make concessions to put games on Xbox because there’s no way they’d ever actually want that 😄

Enjoy Gears! Some of my all time favourite games. Gears 1 in particular ushered in the age of HD gaming on the 360 for me. Fond memories of that game blowing me away at the time.

@Kaloudz one of them bodies, I’ve lost track 😅 now go! Play some Gears you mad man and let me know your thoughts sometime 😄

If the deal doesn't go through, that I doubt, it will be bad for ABK according to their employees. In both cases, it will be bad for Sony because they are annoying both Microsoft and ABK.

@Kaloudz Banjo-Kazooie is my favourite 3D platformer. Banjo-Tooie is more complicated so you need to invest more time on it but that can also be positive in some ways. Nuts & Bolts, once you accept it's more a sandbox with vehicles than a platformer, is a great game. It's very rewarding building your own vehicles to get more Jiggies, trophies and break records.

I'm also off for a while, see you!

Shame the first is leaving Game Pass I lose my progress so far. Hope it goes on sale at some point

@Moonglow

Or maybe, PS users usually buy more jrps than the xbox camp even before gamepass, which gamepass just makes it worse, but it seems people still believe games sell more because one INDIE dev said so.

ps has more units sold and that's on xbox for not competing with their xbox first party games.

The reach is amazing. It's just business. This is not a charity. You done goofed last gen and so far the start of this gen, deal with it it's what I would tell MS. Make mass appealing games (not hi rush or flight sim) or just stop crying about it.

@Kaloudz sony wouldn't have to assure SE games stay multiplat because SE games don't make as much money on Xbox the way COD makes money on playstation.

@uptownsoul

I gotta say, you're the only one that is very grounded in reality in this whole site. Every comment you put is the perfect counter argument for what these people cry about.

@somnambulance if Square Enix are going down the Games Pass route in 2023. I wonder if we may get Bravely Default 2 & NEO: The World Ends With You as they will both soon be 2 years old.

Assuming the activision deal closes in summer, sony buying square will be announced by fall. The firesale of the eidos devs made it obvious what was happening.

Well this article has its intend effect I’m sure.

@Kaloudz You too 😊. Did you beat Banjo-Kazooie yet?

@Kaloudz There would be no concern about player movement because SE core fanbase has been on Nintendo,Playstation or pc since their inception. As I said SE has never had a strong player base on Xbox, which is why Microsoft wouldn't really have objections for a sony/square buyout. Nintendo would be the only ones who might have a problem but even that seems farfetched being that Nintendo and SE haven't been on the same page since final fantasy 5.

Look its just showing through what they think and who they bat for.

It's weird that Octo 2 is on PS and not on Xbox after the 1st one not being on PS but that doesn't stop the whole "sony paid to stop it" nonsense, I mean we actually don't know what's happened here without actual proof.

Seriously though I don't think its right that this game has been taken away from Xbox when it was on there to begin with but I also feel the same with the acti buy out. Games that launched multi plat should always stay multi plat.

@Kaloudz Actions speaks louder than words, what I mean by this is that if Microsoft felt sqaures games were really that important to their brand they could have and would have easily out bid sony for exclusivity, they certainly have the capital to do it. Ff16 and ff remake/rebirth are 2 of sqaures biggest games that will release in the next 2 years, don’t you think xbox would have fought for that if they really valued it ? That's why I think it's highly unlikely MS would make a big deal of sony buying SE if it were to happen.

I'm gonna be honest xbox probably has as much of an incentive to get SE games on the console just as much as SE has incentive to port them there. If that's the case I don't blame either company, for example ff15 a (main line ff game) launched on both ps4 and xbox one with 79% of the sales being on ps while only 14% being on Xbox, that's not good. I'm no mathematician but not even a 3rd of xbox player base bought the game and this is before gamepass was even a thing.

Another thing to keep in mind is SE core player base is and has been for the most part Japan. I'm sure this is not news to anyone around here but Japanese people don't buy xbox, a recent sales chart for consoles in Japan released and xbox current gen consoles weren't even in 3rd place it's literally being outsold by ps4 😲 let that sink in.

With all that said the question for jrpg fans on Xbox shouldn't be why is SE is skipping xbox but rather why do I continue to buy into an ecosystem where the genre I'm interested in has no presence ?

Oh and I wouldn't bank on MS ever buying SE, not saying it's impossible but Japanese regulators would probably shut it down in a quick minute. They're going to protect the interest of other Japanese companies (sony and Nintendo) especially since Sqaures main player base is Japanese. SE would have to be in dire financial straits with no other Japanese businesses stepping up for a merger before they'd even consider letting an outside source (particularly American ) buy them out.

Population of Sonyfunboys on Pure Xbox growing it seems)
They even make compliments to each other... it's so goddamn funny)))

@Doublecell I agree the chances of Microsoft buying Square Enix outright is probably 0. But there is nothing stopping Microsoft from buying shares in Sega, Square Enix & others to influence decisions that way.

@awp69 i'm sure 100%$ it's correct i start to really dislike playstation behavior has a company all people saying they are there to make money are blind they also there to make sure xbox have less japenese games value.

Presumably it doesnt make sense for them financially?
I dont believe its a Sony conspiracy, this appeaers to be sqeenix thing, so it would be interesting to understand what motivates the decision, beyond expected sales?
Presumably compiling the code from a pc version to an xbox one, would be relatively simple with the sdk tools, so its not a resource issue.
If this IS purely on expected sales, then thats a little worrying and I hope its not a trend that spreads to other 3rd parties...
.... not that sqeenix are making much sense with any decisions recently (all the western studios and ip's sold for a song, fixations on blockchain games etc.)
Just a shame that I wont get to play no2 on gamepass after playing no 1 there. I guess I can always hope it appears on the rival service 😀

@Kaloudz Even though the person you were replying to (#141) is making some sense, this business is more complicated and you are seeing the big picture. 14% (if that is correct, I searched and found 21%) of Final Fantasy XV sales on Xbox is a fortune. Let's not forget also that that happened early last generation when Xbox One was almost a commercial failure. Right now, there are 20m Series X|S and 30m PS5 sold, so the gap has decreased immensely. Finally, the biggest and the smallest markets are Windows and Xbox but they run the same games on the same OS which is something that many people seem to ignore, so development costs are nearly zero, not to mention that Game Pass is also revenue for games publishers so it's not all about sales when releasing a game for Xbox.

The question I see here is why Microsoft doesn't bother with Japanese games and the answer is that they bother. Xbox One received very important Japanese games, some of them came to Game Pass. That continued on Series X|S. It's just last year that we started to see a change, especially with Square Enix, that apparently is not making much sense lately. Depending on how all this continues, Microsoft can always make better deals or buy shares like @cragis0001 said. Japanese games are important for Microsoft because they are popular outside Japan.

Very good point about Japanese market, it's a small market compared to the rest of the world and some Japanese games are more successful outside Japan, Final Fantasy is a good example because is far less popular than Dragon Quest there.

@Deadeye13 My eyes were rolling when I read one of them telling another, "You're the only one that is very grounded in reality in this whole site."

@uptownsoul this is not x360/ps3 era ports. Releasing a game like this one on xbx/ps today is as easy as selecting the target platform on UE4 before build. I can assure you Sony is paying extra to SE to keep games like this one and FFVII away from MS.

@Kaloudz Yes SE sold Intellectual property to embracer group such as crystal dynamics along with titles like tomb raider etc. But as you know selling single ips/studios from your company vs selling the entire company it's self are two totally different things.

As it relates to Microsoft and jrpgs I believe MS will have to become a much bigger presents in Japan for a company like SE to feel comfortable consistently porting games to the console. It's my understanding that Phil Spencer and Microsoft are trying to do that but in my honest opinion they're going about it the wrong way. Getting 7 year old games that are already ingrained in the fabric of playstation and Nintendo is not gonna move the needle.

Don't get me wrong Persona was a hit on gamepass but that was more so amongst western gamers on Xbox than it was anybody in Japan. Instead of going after games already on ps/Nintendo I think xbox should focus on making their own original exclusive jrpgs and if they can't make their own find up and coming Japanese studios that can. In that way if the games are any good the Japanese gaming market won't be able to ignore them, they would essentially have to buy an Xbox to play them or at the very least subscribe to gamepass on a device of their choosing.

Then once SE and other Japanese gaming companies who don't normally ports games to Xbox see that a chunk of their market is on xbox consoles, they may have no choice but to port their own games to Xbox. That's just my opinion anyway.

@cragis0001 Japan's regulators will make it hard for Microsoft to buy any of the big three (sega,SE,capcom) if the Activision deal goes through I think you can pretty much put a cap on Microsoft acquiring any other big publishers. Governments are not gonna just let them buy up business just because they have the capital to do so, after all regulators exist for the purpose of controlling things like this.

@Doublecell Xbox One started being popular when Phil came and Xbox One S and X were released. My opinion is that Xbox got old games because they were trying to keep up the pace. For instance, it got the Kingdom Hearts collections but also Kingdom Hearts III at launch. Same for the old Final Fantasy games but then Square Enix changed their strategy again: no Octopath Traveller II nor Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection for Xbox at launch. Octopath Traveller already had a Windows version so an Xbox version was a no-brainer. It was even released for Stadia and the sequel is on Windows but not on Xbox at launch. Suspicious...

Xbox also got Rune Factory 4, Ni No Kuni, Yakuza, Persona, Dragon Quest, Tales of... It's not a bad idea releasing what your platform is missing. Xbox also has a Japanese developer, Tango, that released Hi-Fi Rush weeks ago. The only problem with Japanese games on Xbox is that some games were late (Monster Hunter Rise) or haven't come (Final Fantasy VII Intergrade) because of exclusivity or exclusion deals and, after the ABK acquisition trial, we all will know more about that, Microsoft included. Things will change because either regulators will limit Sony's agreements because of unfair competition or, at the very least, Microsoft will have more information about those agreements and will be able to offer better ones.

@Doublecell to be fair I hope that the Activision Blizzard deal regardless of the outcome is what breaks the camels back. I hope this deal has opened regulators eyes to what is really happening within the games industry & puts a stops to shady 3rd party deals & the current acquisition spree.

@cragis0001 I hope that it will be the same for the three of them, not just for Microsoft and that exclusion agreements for third-party games are regulated too because it's unfair competition and worse than an acquisition.

And this is why Sony's opposition to the Xbox ABK acquisition is so hypocritical. Sure, Sony may not have bought Square Enix, but they may as well have done. Same can be said for many of their other third-party exclusives. It's a smart practice; buying up all the decent exclusives without going to the full expense of buying the entire company. With the way they are going about their business can carp from the side-lines about how Xbox buying ABK is bad for the gaming industry, whilst doing much the same without having certain companies showing up on their books. That way, Sony can hold one hand out and say, these are all the developers we have acquired, whilst holding the other hand behind their back to hide their stranglehold on the console industry. It's clever and cynical in equal measure...

@uptownsoul

Sony is famous for censoring japanese games

@Kaloudz It might be more complicated than this but... they can buy the stock that is available on the stock market. For instance, the Government of Saudi Arabia is Nintendo's largest foreign owner 😮 and they could buy as much stock as is available or sold on the market.

@Banjo- agreed but i don't have much faith in the regulators to follow through to be fair specially the CMA.

@cragis0001 I don't expect regulators to be fair either, that's why Microsoft will likely sue them. Then we will know all the truth about Sony's deals specifically excluding Xbox but not PC or Switch. It's serious stuff: exclusion agreements with huge publishers like Zenimax, Activision, Square Enix...

Check out "NOT INVENTED HERE" - there is a page about it on Wikipedia.

Everyone saying it's cause of sales stats on Xbox... where are you getting that information?

@Banjo- well let's see what juicy info we get from the EU hearing next week. I heard that Sony, Google, Nvidia, EA & Valve will be there also.

@Titntin Honestly I think MS was trying to buy the Western studios. Then they backed out to go after the other deal. Square Enix is left to take the much smaller Embracer deal and now things are a bit bad between them.

@Saints That's exactly what I was going to ask. Some Sony fanboys saying that these games "sell horribly on Xbox" and that they are not successful on Game Pass without having a clue 🤦🏻‍♂️.

@uptownsoul

Due to censorship in Japanese games, PlayStation isn't the most ideal platform for playing Japanese games

@Kaloudz Basically, oil speculation by countries that have nothing to do with Japan is buying Nintendo 😅. That's how mad this world is.

The likely explanation is sales of the original were so poor on Xbox platforms that they didn’t bother to even think about releasing it.

It’s a shame but this has been going on since the 360 where titles like Vesperia eventually went multi platform because exclusivity damaged Japanese sales of the game.

The lions share of OT sales were obviously on Switch but to maximise the Japanese market it makes business sense to build OT2 for PlayStation platforms too.

@RadioHedgeFund no it doesn’t actually make sense put it on PlayStation platforms to “maximize” Japanese sales at least not in the case with OT2. Less than 3 million PS5s have been sold there and with the exception of GT most PS4 software titles die. And there is a huge amount of scalping going on int Japan for PS5. At this point, Japan is almost exclusively Switch, just putting OT2 on Switch maximizes that country.

PlayStation platforms is for everywhere else. I mean I’m not disagreeing with the rest of your statement but PlayStation games barely chart in Japan and drop off quick.

@EvenStephen7 Honestly I don't care about shooters, racers, or multiplayer games much at all, yet main Xbox..... It's really the home of WRPGs now with only Horizon on the Sony side. Though I really prefer getting my jrpgs on Xbox too so it's still disappointing.

@NEStalgia ooo a thread you hadn’t hijacked yet

@NEStalgia I understand; there are always going to be exceptions (I hesitated on putting racing down because that could be all consoles). My point was just that every console has their strengths and no one is going to have everything.

I really didn't like the first octopath traveler. I had huge hopes after the prologue demo only to day 1 into....the most broken pieced, lore lacked, grindy thing i'd played since i was a kid.

it showed and taught me nearly everything i seem to like about jrpgs since octopath seemed to utterly lack it lol.
I have friends who adored it though.

I'm utterly skeptical and keeping my distance with this one for the time being.

@EvenStephen7 True, it's just that with this gen it feels like the tables are turning a lot. "Shooters" seems to be all platforms now, and the biggest among them are mostly played on ps, and now ps is going all in on live services while xb with it's wrpg and indie focus seems more single player oriented now. Almost a total reverse, with the exception of Japanese games. Still, weirdly my entire xb wishlist is Japanese games except Hogwarts and SpongeBob and my ps wishlist is almost all Western except falcon, square, and a few Japanese cr games.

@mousieone lol, You shouldn't make up myths about things that don't exist

@Nalverus 100% agree! I was hyped, looooved the prologue demo, bought myself the collectors edition with the pop up book and everything for switch, started playing the game, and found super grindy and bland. The prologue seemed like it was hoping to really become an adventure that it just never became. The sequel sounds maybe better but the first one and bravely default feel like they're a celebration of the bad parts of early in 90s jrpg design rather than the good parts.

@Doublecell thing is Japanese companies want there games to be more popular in the west. As even Square Enix said last year that the Japanese market isn't enough to sustain them anymore. It partially explains why Xbox is getting franchises that were once locked away. But it also makes Square Enix's decision to avoid Xbox bizarre.

@awp69 I’d put money on it they did knowing what Sony are like.

@NEStalgia pffft you believe whatever makes you happy

@mousieone I tried believing in generations like Uncle Jim, but it didn't work out.

@cragis0001 I assume sales are just plain bad on xb. It's a catch 22. The market for their games has been loyal to ps since 1995. If you like their games you have a ps almost certainly. Idk what it would take to convince that market to jump ship. Maybe nothing. Sucks though as it's really where I'd rather buy those games.

I'm also guessing square doesn't love the bc focus on xb where their games are long term supported. There much more aligned with that Nintendo/Sony model of reselling all your games as new every generation. The reason I want to buy them here is the reason they don't want to sell them here most likely.

@NEStalgia I understand that sales are probably weak but to be fair Square Enix only have themselves to blame for that. If they want to be taken serious in the international
market then they need to show that they will fully support the only non home made console as well. If they want Microsoft's help then so be it. Offering pretty much full support has seemed to have worked for Capcom, Bandai Namco, Sega. So wouldn't expect it to be any different for Square Enix, Konami or any other Japanese publisher as Xbox users aren't gonna cough up there hard earned cash if they feel the rug can be pulled at any moment.

@cragis0001 It's not just that though, games sales in Japan are generally just bad overall, and Squeenix games in particular outside DQ and their mobile offerings have largely been mostly about the overseas market than the Japan market for a long, long time (and most of their stuff that sells better in Japan never even ends up localized outside Japan.) It's just that outside japan they already have a natural market on PS primarily and Nintendo secondarily for some of their smaller stuff. For them, it's not so much about not being taken seriously outside Japan so much as, if their consumer base in the west is already generally located on a single platform, the only reason for them to put much effort outside that is if that base suddenly shifts to another platform.

Everyone that wants to buy Squeenix games already has a PS or Switch or both, almost 100% of their market. Even here, those of us that would rather buy it on XB, will just buy on PS or Switch if it doesn't come. That's an uphill battle then to convince them to make ports that cost money that they don't need in order to hit 90+ % of their market.

Sega's had close ties to MS since Dreamcast, and helped on the OG Xbox, so they're a bit of a special case of corporate synergy, and the others don't have as dedicated a customer base pre-existing on PS, with Capcom arguably more associated with Nintendo, and Bamco not particularly fixed to any platform. But Square...well beyond their synergy with Sony, and the fact that Square does really weird things (Octopath 1 NOT on PS??, the whole DQXI saga) I do kinda get, that they have a practical business issue that, if their customers all have PS's and their XB ports don't sell very well, why spend the money?

It's just a really hard sell. "We want you to commit to continuously make ports for a platform that barely sells your games" doesn't make sense. Maybe MS would be willing to pay for it? But then it doesn't make sense that MS has to keep paying companies to make ports they don't really want to make. I think the best thing MS can do is just make sure Windows games are pretty much seamless to port to Xbox. And maybe arrange to waive licensing fees for some of this content, still get the cut from the store, but wave the licensing fee to make the platform more enticing. But then it intrudes on whatever back room deals they have going with Sony.

@NEStalgia that's where Microsoft should be helping encouraging Japanese devs who want bigger sales in the west to get on board as more games help both in time. As they will get more sales in the west but also if released in Japan will help shift more consoles. As look at Hogwarts Legacy it topped the Japanese charts on PS5 but also I guess helped shift Xbox's as it had it's best weekly sales of over 3,000.
It just shows like I said if gamers feel like there being supported by Japanese devs with good quality games day 1 like the PS5 & Switch people will buy them. Look at Elden Ring. Yes it won't happen over night but they have themselves to blame for that so it would be classed as an investment. I think Microsoft has offered large fees or full cost for ports to get games on Games Pass to get more Japanese games in Xbox gamers hands. But the key is day 1 high quality releases & if they need a help get the few exclusives day 1 on Games Pass & others on 6-12 months later.

@cragis0001 I agree in general, but there's still that problem that the customer base on XB just doesn't seem to be the base that's buying such things, which is a hurdle. I think MS wants to win that market over, but if you're a JP publisher and every time you put your games on XB and find that sales are really low, you get a clear image that your market is simply already elsewhere. It's chicken and egg for sure, they don't want to spend money on ports for a platform that doesn't have much audience, and they'll never have audience if the narrative is always that the games skip the platform. But it still leaves the problem of convincing happy PS owners that buy Japanese games to try to switch to a platform that's simply less likely to get all the Japanese games they want to play. GP is the main weapon there, but it's an uphill battle.

I don't think XB will shift more consoles in Japan, really, ever. It just hasn't caught on and they're done trying with the new price increase that's highest there. Xcloud maybe. But XB no. BUT, the catch22 is PS doesn't really do so hot in Japan either. Much better than XB, but it's still a niche, and the recent huge sales of PS there without game sales may be partially explained by an export trend to China due to the weak yen. Still way more popular than XB, but I'd honestly expect GP on mobile could/should easily blow PS market share out of the water there if handled right. Hogwarts did help both consoles, mainly PS, but, I do think that "Japanese games" for the most part are a purely export market for Japan at this point. Gaming has mostly shrunk, other than the Nintendo market, and it's big western blockbusters like Hogwarts and Spidey that really hit the charts there, too.

I do think MS is paying heavily and does want that market. I just don't know at what point they get burned of having to PAY all the time to get a content niche that isn't really significant in their player base. I hate MS to forever be the "western games" console, especially since, consistently nearly my whole xb catalogue remains Japanese, as my PS catalogue becomes ever more western, I want it to succeed, I'm just not sure how impossible that task will be. The day we get falcom games is the day we know things are changing I guess (Square does who knows...)

At least we have the superior version of Like a Dragon 7 though. That's worth the whole Square stable, really...

@NEStalgia only time will tell I guess. But I'm enjoying the fact that we are getting Japanese titles on a regular basis & hope Microsoft can keep it up.