Xbox failed to secure Final Fantasy as Square Enix feared Sony reaction, says former exec

Former Xbox exec Ed Fries says Square Enix held back Final Fantasy support over concerns Sony could react

Former Xbox executive Ed Fries has said that Microsoft missed key opportunities to secure the Final Fantasy series, citing concerns among Japanese publishers about potential reactions from Sony.

Fries, who served as vice president of game publishing during the early years of Xbox, reflected on the situation in an interview with Expansion Pass.

He said the Final Fantasy franchise “is really up there” among the titles he regrets not bringing to the platform, noting that he held frequent discussions with Square Soft and Enix, as well as other major Japanese publishers including Konami, Capcom and Sega.

“Some of them we were able to do deals with, some of them we weren't,” Fries said. “They [Xbox] were able to do some deals after I left with Square, but it was always like, a tough discussion because they wanted Sony to have competition. but they couldn't be too overt for their support of Xbox. They couldn't make it too obvious they were supporting Xbox.”

Fries suggested this cautious approach was not limited to Square Enix. According to him, several publishers were interested in supporting Xbox but were mindful of their relationships with Sony. He added that some companies sought to maintain balance in the market while avoiding direct conflict.

“They did it kind of to tweak Sony because they wanted Sony to have competitors because otherwise they're a monopoly, and monopolies, you know, just do whatever they want,” Fries said, referring to examples such as Tecmo releasing titles exclusively on Xbox.

He also claimed that “Sony could punish them if they wanted to” through measures such as delaying development kits or limiting promotional support.

Despite these challenges, Xbox later secured some titles from Square Enix, including Final Fantasy 11 and Final Fantasy 13, as well as exclusives like Infinite Undiscovery and The Last Remnant.