As with Bethesda and Activision-Blizzard, Xbox caused almost a real earthquake, especially among fans of Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts.
Microsoft has never hidden its rampant appetite for acquisitions. The American company is desperate to improve its market position and has caught up. In the search for exclusive products for the previous generation, numerous acquisitions were considered. A list unveiled during the audit opposing the FTC showed some desire to bloat its ranks, with Sega in the line of fire. The Redmond company wants to strengthen its position on the Japanese market and has almost achieved a masterpiece with the makers of Final Fantasy.
Xbox was trying to get their hands on Square Enix
New revelation. The trial in federal court between the FTC and Microsoft, which opened on June 22, 2023, continues with the anticipated speech from Activision-Blizzard President Bobby Kotick. Meanwhile, a new document reveals that Microsoft almost got its hands on a large part. Whether it’s Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Life is Strange or even Tomb Raider – Square Enix has many strong licenses. The Redmond-based company was not insensitive to this and tried to buy the Japanese publisher in 2019, before the launch of the Xbox Series X.
Codenamed Project Phoenix, the acquisition project had three goals. Get hold of FF7 and other Square Enix licenses to add them to the Xbox catalog and more specifically Game Pass, then create new titles for Xbox Series X and S. These are also the company’s efforts in the mobile market that are attracting interest wake up Microsoft, which is also one of the reasons that motivated the acquisition of Activision-Blizzard. This potential acquisition of Square Enix was also part of its desire to strengthen its presence in Asia, a goal the company has long proclaimed.
A redemption that failed
The American giant had no intention of abandoning the Western studios still under the publisher’s wing and reiterated its desire to help them develop their games, citing Deus Ex as an example. The takeover plan ultimately failed. Eventually, in 2022, Square Enix sold its subsidiary and most of its Western licenses to Embracer Group, losing ownership of Tomb Raider and Deus Ex. The partnership with PlayStation seems stronger than ever, fueled by Final Fantasy’s PS5 exclusives 16 and FF7 Rebirth is proven. As for the arrival of Final Fantasy 7 Remake on the Xbox Series …
