Final Fantasy: Exclusivity Here to Stay?

A story as old as the console releases themselves, exclusive games have plagued those that many only have access to one console and can’t gain access to the newer releases. With the next generation of consoles announcing that they are back compatible with older games, it may seem initially like a step in the right direction for how our games - however as we increasingly move toward digitally owed games that can be taken away from us at any moment, but can we expect to see a chance in how exclusivity is handled?

The short answer, for the most part, is likely no - as we see more added to the lists every year. But we are seeing things change from where there used to be - namely as the exclusivity clause may only last for a period of time, rather than indefinitely. One of the most anticipated upcoming releases is a perfect example of this - the Final Fantasy VII remake is set to release on April 10th for the Playstation 4, and then a year later on other platforms - but as the game will be separated into different episodes many are asking the question of whether or not the future episode releases will follow the same release schedule, or all at the same time. However the good news in that is at least the game is coming to other platforms - in this example, Square Enix has had a long history with complete playstation exclusivity, so for those who are a fan of the series, as with the past couple of games, will have the option to play it on their preferred platform.

This may not be true for all platforms however, as mobile and and PC gamers will still receive different treatment - either for the better or worse depending on how you look at it. The mobile gaming market is enormous and it continues to grow - in the UK betting and casino apps are leading the way and these sites aren’t blocked by Gamstop as many register themselves elsewhere, but we are also seeing more large multiplayer games move to mobile devices too - Fortnite being a perfect example. PC gamers will always deal with some level of exclusivity, although they have it a little easier as the platform tends to have a much higher level of support - bigger development communities, mod support, and platforms to purchase games to give some more freedom on availability.