Microsoft has claimed that Final Fantasy 16 and Silent Hill 2, among other games, have been blocked from release on Xbox platforms due to Sony exclusivity deals. Both Final Fantasy 16 and Silent Hill 2 have had their PlayStation exclusivity announced publicly. However, explicitly blocking Xbox support as part of the deal and the duration of the blockage provides further context to the situation. Needless to say, there are going to be some disappointed Xbox players due to the news.The topic is being discussed due to the ongoing process surrounding Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The Federal Trade Commission of the United States has indicated it's endeavoring to block the acquisition, leading Microsoft to take a much more hostile approach to the situation – and to Sony, which has lobbied internationally to block the purchase. Microsoft is currently in the process of a review with the United Kingdom's CMA, as well, and has discussed the status of many exclusive games as part of its filings. Attention is being drawn to a statement initially overlooked in Microsoft's response to the UK's CMA from October. In one section of Microsoft's letter to the CMA, it claims that the acquisition will have "no anticompetitive effect." As evidence, it explains that Sony currently has "more exclusive games than Microsoft, many of which are better quality." The idea is that even an acquisition the size of Activision Blizzard is just an effort for Microsoft to catch up with Sony.
As part of this statement, Microsoft lists some "prominent examples" of third-party exclusivity deals Sony has made. It lists Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Bloodborne, Final Fantasy 16, and the Silent Hill 2 remake. Microsoft characterizes these third-party partnerships as requiring Xbox's exclusion from publishers' distribution plans.
While durations for each individual game's exclusion from Xbox platforms aren't provided, the implication of the statement is that it's without end. Two of the examples, Bloodborne and Final Fantasy 7, have been available for some time and have not been brought to Xbox. Silent Hill 2 has previously been said to have a 12-month exclusivity, but it will take a year before that can truly be confirmed.
Final Fantasy 16 is obviously the biggest disappointment of the bunch. That's a major game release from a franchise with millions of fans across the world. Preventing the game from not only launching on Xbox, but potentially never being released on Xbox, is disappointing, to say the least. And it undoubtedly backs up Xbox's argument that whether it's Call of Duty or Warcraft, it's going to take Xbox more to catch up to PlayStation's exclusivity endeavors.