If the rumors are to be believed, Microsoft and Square Enix are at odds and this appears to be affecting which of the Japanese gaming giant's games appear on the Xbox platform. The relationships between companies can often be complicated and Microsoft has made waves recently in the gaming industry as it seeks to acquire Activision Blizzard, a move that has invoked the ire of Sony who believes that the deal will irreparably harm competition in the console space by giving Xbox an edge over PlayStation.
Square Enix seems to have been selective about which games it releases on Xbox in recent years. This appears to be the result of exclusion deals signed with Sony which according to Microsoft puts its Xbox platform at a major disadvantage when compared to PlayStation. A few prominent games from Square Enix and other developers were mentioned as evidence that Microsoft acquiring Activision Blizzard would not have a major effect on competition between the two tech giants. This implied that the deal was necessary to help Microsoft catch up to Sony. Nintendo and some of its beloved first-party titles were also mentioned in the same breath.
Square Enix recently announced a release date for the console version of Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster, but it appears that the company still has no plans to release its collection of classic RPGs on Xbox. The initial announcement for Pixel Remaster also excluded Microsoft platforms, so it's not exactly surprising to see Xbox left out even though some fans of the monolithic RPG franchise had hopes that Square Enix would change its tune. It is unclear why exactly the game is not coming to Microsoft's platform at this time, but the development has fueled speculation that relations between Square Enix and Microsoft are strained.
While Xbox gamers have had several big Square Enix releases come to their platform of choice like Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy and Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, it is understandable that those who are fans of the mainline Final Fantasy series are feeling left out. Final Fantasy 16 is one of this year's most anticipated games but is launching as a PlayStation exclusive which casts a shadow over Sony's attempt to block Microsoft from acquiring Activision Blizzard
Even Final Fantasy 14 has yet to grace the Xbox platform, but according to Phil Spencer Microsoft has not given up on working with Square Enix to bring FF14 to Xbox. Regardless of the commitment from Microsoft to bring this game to its platform, the number of big Square Enix releases missing Xbox continues to grow, as does the perception that the two companies are not getting along.
Source: Windows Central