Design Delight Studio

Final Fantasy Tactics Highlights Publisher Apathy Toward Xbox PC Store

Date: June 5, 2025
Source: Windows Central
Author: Jez Corden

Xbox Play Anywhere: A Valued Yet Underserved Feature

Microsoft’s Xbox Play Anywhere (XPA) initiative aims to unify gaming experiences across Xbox consoles and Windows PCs. By purchasing a game once, players can enjoy it on multiple devices seamlessly, carrying save files and licenses effortlessly. This ecosystem promises flexibility and value, encouraging gamers to stay within Microsoft’s ecosystem.

Currently, over 1,000 games support Xbox Play Anywhere, predominantly from indie developers. Although major publishers occasionally participate, their involvement remains inconsistent, to the frustration of users.

Square Enix’s Mixed Approach to Xbox Play Anywhere

Square Enix exemplifies the challenges facing Xbox Play Anywhere adoption. They embraced the platform for the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster collection last year, which integrated smoothly with Xbox consoles, Xbox Cloud Gaming, and PC devices through the Xbox Store and Game Pass. This integration delivered a prime example of the ecosystem’s potential benefits—flexible play across multiple devices with unified progress.

However, Square Enix’s latest Final Fantasy Tactics remaster bucks this trend. It is available for preorder on Xbox Store (console), PlayStation Network, and Steam, but notably absent from the Xbox PC store. This omission means no Xbox Play Anywhere support for PC gamers, undermining the seamless experience Microsoft promotes.

Why Don’t AAA Publishers Favor Xbox PC Store?

Despite Microsoft’s competitive revenue share—only 12% cut on the Xbox PC Store versus Steam’s 30%—major AAA publishers largely prefer Steam for PC game distribution. This reluctance limits Xbox PC Store growth and diminishes incentives for users to choose the platform.

Square Enix’s partial engagement suggests publishers may require stronger incentives or face internal concerns about splitting licenses across platforms. The inconsistency frustrates Xbox and PC gamers eager for streamlined, multi-device access.

Conclusion: Publishers’ Inconsistent Support Challenges Xbox Ecosystem Growth

The Final Fantasy Tactics case underscores a broader industry trend: publishers are often disinterested or cautious about embracing Microsoft’s Xbox ecosystem fully, particularly Xbox Play Anywhere and the Xbox PC Store. While the vision for cross-platform play and unified licenses is compelling, realizing it demands publisher commitment beyond the indie sector.

For gamers seeking organic growth and widespread support of Xbox Play Anywhere, the current landscape remains uneven. Microsoft’s challenge going forward is to persuade larger publishers to buy in—and help Xbox PC Store become a vibrant, go-to platform for AAA PC titles.

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