In a recent press conference at the Final Fantasy Fan Fest 2023, the director and producer of Final Fantasy XIV, Naoki Yoshida, expressed his desire to integrate the recently released Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters into the MMO. The Pixel Remasters have been well-received on PlayStation and Nintendo Switch, but Square Enix aims to expand their availability to a another platform, and surprisingly, it's not the Xbox they have in mind.
Yoshi-P proposed the idea of allowing FFXIV players to experience the Pixel Remasters either through the Gold Saucer amusement park in-game or via player housing. However, implementing this feature has proved to be a significant challenge. The Pixel Remasters run on a "middleware," which acts as a middleman between the games and the operating system, enabling them to function on modern consoles.
To make this possible in Final Fantasy XIV, the developers would need to create another system within the game that can play back the middleware, effectively building a system of a game to play a system of a game, creating a complex and unusual configuration.
Despite the difficulties, Yoshi-P remains enthusiastic about the idea and called for a "super programmer" to step forward and assist Square Enix in making it a reality. Interestingly, if they succeed in incorporating the Pixel Remasters into Final Fantasy XIV, it would technically mark the release of the Pixel Remasters on Xbox, as FFXIV is planned to launch on the platform next year.
The recent Fan Fest was eventful, with several announcements, including the new Dawntrail expansion and hints of future Square Enix x Xbox collaborations. As Yoshi-P's passion for Final Fantasy XIV continues, players can look forward to potential new adventures and experiences in the beloved MMORPG, including the exciting prospect of playing classic Final Fantasy games within the virtual world.
Source: