Summer Game Fest 2025 has come and gone, and Xbox made out with a solid showing for the rest of the year and 2026. Among the various surprises and returning games in the main portion of the Xbox Games Showcase, Square Enix dropped in with a couple of titles that many would argue are overdue for Xbox ports. Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade will be coming to Xbox Series consoles in Winter 2025, while Final Fantasy 16 was shadow-dropped on them after the show. Although this comes after these games have migrated to every other platform, it’s still good to see Final Fantasy 16 and FF7R on Xbox.
Even if these announcements are comparable to Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade being announced for the Nintendo Switch 2 in Winter as well, there’s special value in seeing Square Enix finally bring its biggest modern games onto Xbox platforms. It was a big deal back when Final Fantasy 13 came to Xbox 360 as well as PS3, and the whole Kingdom Hearts franchise recently repeated this feat. The excitement for Final Fantasy 16 is enhanced even further by it being a surprise shadow drop, and at this point, it’s safe to say that it won’t be the last that Xbox fans see.
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Final Fantasy 16 Is The Latest In A Line of Shadow Drops
Shadow Drops Form An Increasing Portion Of Xbox’s Output
While every major game publisher has been known to surprise their fans once in a while, Xbox in particular has noticeably shifted towards surprise game releases since the beginning of 2023. Tango Gameworks’ Hi-Fi Rush was the first success Xbox saw from this practice back in the January 2023 Developer_Direct, even if Hi-Fi Rush has since left Xbox’s umbrella, and the trend has only picked up steam since. Currently, the list of recent Xbox-affiliated shadow drops includes:
- Hi-Fi Rush – January 2023 Developer_Direct
- Animal Well – October 2024 Xbox Partner Preview
- Blindfire – October 2024 Xbox Partner Preview
- Death Stranding Director’s Cut – November 2024
- Ninja Gaiden 2 Black – January 2025 Developer_Direct
- The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion – April 2025
- Final Fantasy 16 – June 2025 Xbox Games Showcase
In the year leading up to the 2025 Xbox Games Showcase, Xbox showed an increasing willingness to drop both ports and new game releases onto players, and sometimes, these didn’t even need to coincide with larger Xbox events. A remaster of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion is a huge deal for Xbox and Bethesda fans, and its abrupt launch didn’t diminish its success, so between it and the other notable titles released that way, like Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, it’s likely that Xbox shadow-drops are here to stay.
Xbox Should Keep Shadow-Dropping Games Like Final Fantasy 16
In general, shadow drops seem to be working out well for Xbox. Although marketing games has obvious benefits, it’s become noticeably more difficult in recent years for games to be seen online and elsewhere, so a good shadow drop can still generate the excitement that a strong announcement would otherwise have. Shadow drops are also a good dispersal method for high-profile indie and AA titles, something that Xbox representatives have stated they would like more of in their lineup.
Game Pass Shadow Drops Are Also Good For Xbox
One last benefit of normalizing shadow drops is that Xbox already uses them frequently, but not for full game launches. Although shadow dropping something normally means releasing it alongside its announcement, new Xbox Game Pass arrivals have also been called shadow drops by official Xbox marketing. Because Game Pass is vital for Xbox’s success, establishing this practice should ensure that people frequently discuss new Game Pass releases and theorize about what could join it next. Final Fantasy 16 may not represent anything new for Xbox, but it does prove that Xbox knows how to leverage the element of surprise.
Final Fantasy 16
10/10
- Released
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June 22, 2023
- ESRB
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M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
- Engine
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Proprietary Engine