There are high speed SD Cards coming from Samsung later this year, but that SSD stuff is largely bullshit, Sony said the same about Ratchet & Clank and it's playable on Steam Deck even when running off old ass slower SD Cards. 

Graphics wise it's hard to know, but based on the leaked specs from the Nvidia leak, I think the Switch 2 could run Rebirth. It's not a giant leap past FF7 Remake, it's basically like a PS4 game on moderate steroids. Horizon: Forbidden West probably overall is the better looking game and that runs on a stock PS4.

The deal is what it is, I have to wonder really though what the incentive is for Sony to force Square to have to honor it and suffer as a result. PS5 doesn't need FF7R, it's not moving any kind of needle, Switch 2 is not even coming out until a year, even if you want to force them to keep it exclusive for 2 years, past that it's just pure pettiness on Sony's part. 

If I'm Square-Enix's new president (who has basically implied he doesn't want any more exclusives), unless Sony are literally paying me for every potential lost sale on another platform, I'm never signing a deal with Sony again. Not worth it to damage your company and top brand like that. Learn your lesson the hard way, it's not 2002 anymore. 

At this point 5 million with a pc release is already hard enough. The market is simply not very big for this kind of game anymore. Even it launches on Switch 2, I still don't think it will sell 10 million.

Might be wishful thinking but I believe it'll sell over 5 million on PS5 alone. The game is amazing and the reception (both critical and players') is great. If NieR Automata managed to leg it out to over 8 million, I don't see how Rebirth won't.

Not sure how SSD is BS. The fast M2 storage has effectively eliminated loading. Zero Dawn had long loading when fast traveling, forbidden west is almost instant. While not necessary the elimination of loading is quite nice.

If all these deals are working as handsomely as you suggest, and that they've never really ever been disappointed with these deals before, then why now of all times are SE opening up to MS, why PC as well for that matter?. 

Yeah I know you're likely to say like any logical person, "more money", but why bother when the exclusivity deals are always paying off in more spades than one?, why not just stay Sony only?.

As I suggested, I doubt these deals were offered again at the same absurd values ($100m for ROTR, for instance) or at all.

MS and even Sony must be aware by now that Square Enix's games simply don't have that kind of draw anymore to justify them (exclusivity deals being considered publicity expenses and all).

Sony apparently does, because they still continue making deals with them years and years later.

If the deal maker doesn't consider it a worthwhile trade deal, then that's what it ends up becoming "not a good deal". SE is addicted to these deals, but as you pointed out, the other party thinks otherwise (specifically MS, since Sony keep doing theirs).

The thing I was getting at is, is that someone, somewhere seems to think these deals are 100% worth trading all other platforms for one, for years on end, and then coming back later, expecting that market to fill their demand, and then it isn't being met fully, because they left it too late, and when you leave it too late, your draw tends to shorten (much like hype can die out if prolonged). 

I'm not even sure what SE predicts for their FF 16 PC sales, but I do know they'll likely be asking full price, and I don't see that selling a metric ton, when people are starting to wake up to cheaper games like HD2/Palworld and Lost Epoch, rather than dishing out £60-70 a year later, for what might be an average port. 

Yeah, Sony definitely does.

Don't get me wrong, it's entirely possible that Square Enix suddenly decided to consider possible brand damage and/or damage to their long-term growth even if these deals were profitable, but given their nonchalant approach to porting (taking their sweet-ass time to deliver subpar ports and effectively giving Epic/Sony/whoever more exclusivity time than they paid for), I doubt it's the main factor.

I think internally Square-Enix is probably panicking, but there's not much to do about it at this point. 

Their Q4 forecast is just 100m USD higher revenue than 2023's, so it doesn't look like SE was expecting more than ~3m first-month sales throughout March (assuming everything else is more or less flat and Forspoken flopped as badly as it is rumored).