PS360 generation was an anomaly, Xbox was bigger and PS smaller. Obviously the splits shifted towards Playstation when Xbox is factored in. But PC and Nintendo are generally gaining in popularity. What are the PS:PC sales splits for FF13 and 15?

I agree that Final Fantasy's problem has little to do with exclusivity. But it doesn't hurt to be hopeful that a miracle happens and it gets its BotW moment one day. FF is my favorite video game franchise of all time and I wish it nothing but success.

I hope some of it is due to people who are late to the party and have to finish Remake first.

Depends on the tracker, but it was around 1:4 and 1:3 for FF13 and FF15 respectively. Remake was maybe 1:8 (despite FF13 and FF15 also releasing late on PC and the size of the console userbases by then).

As for the Switch and its successor, we'll see. Nintendo monopolizes so much software that the Switch behaves more like a platform with half its hardware sales for third-parties, which explains why it isn't actually that attractive to other publishers. Besides, The PS1 is the only 100m+ console whose successor outsold it so far and Nintendo's background in that regard isn't exactly stellar.

FF is also my favorite franchise, I think, it made my teenage years back on the PS2 days. I just wish the games weren't mediocre ever since (and so infuriating since you can see through their flaws how they could have been excellent instead) and they didn't devote so many resources to this Remake project which isn't going to pay dividends.

I don't know if I'd agree here; Switch's third party support is actually really extensive, it's just that power limitations make certain ports a difficult proposition.

In terms of less demanding titles like indie and AA software it's lineup is very strong, and even in terms of AAA "impossible ports" it's got heaps of stuff like Witcher 3, Doom 2016/Eternal, Nier Automata, Hogwarts Legacy, etc.

Square themselves have brought Octopath Traveller 1/2, Bravely Default II, Neo The World Ends with You 1/2, Oninaki, Nier, Triangle Strategy, Dragon Quest, Live a Live, Star Ocean, Harvestella, Diofield Chronicle, etc.

If Switch wasn't a lucrative platform for third parties, their support would have dried up long ago.

I'll pick it up when I get a PS5, which'll probably be next spring. A graduation gift for myself for graudating college.

What I meant is that this isn't a matter of support being extensive or not, is the fact that its market is smaller than the raw hardware sales would indicate.

As I mentioned, 50% of Switch game sales are first-party games and its attach rate is marginally lower than the other consoles, so it effectively behaves as if it had a 60-70 million user base for third-party developers (compared to other home consoles with maybe 10-15% first-party).

That's still considerable, of course, but it's a market closer to the Xbox One than the PlayStation 4, let alone Steam, so not one that would result in miraculous sales.

I think even with a supposedly 60-70 base for third party developers, that's an active base. While you're probably right that 50% of Switch software sales are first-party games, there is potential to continue growing that base for third party software if third party developers decided to give more of an effort and attention to such an active base. Nintendo can only do so much to entice third party developers and the ports can only do so much to build interest in their respective series. We know at least the base is more than interested in Final Fantasy games as the pixel remasters sold well over the PS version and games like VII and VIII stayed in the eshop charts for a long while.

As I mentioned before, I believe that Square could've developed a unique and original Final Fantasy game on Switch, whether it be turn-based or action-based. It could've done well for itself and maybe sold as well as what XVI and Rebirth are doing. No, something similar to Crystal Chronicles is not necessarily what I'm talking about. I'm thinking of a game that would be FF's answer to Monster Hunter Rise, which sold around 8 million units on Switch alone and not including the Sunbreak DLC. Sure its not the 20+ million that World sold for PS4/Xbox/PC, but that's not an insignificant number. Use something similar to XIII's graphics and it would impress enough people. Or at least, think of being inspired by Xenoblade Chronicles, a big open world JRPG that doesn't even have half the prestige and popularity as Final Fantasy.

Maybe we will finally see that on the Switch 2. But in the end, its a missed opportunity by Square to expand their audience beyond just the PS crowd. XVI and Rebirth are well received games but are not selling at the higher end of Square's expectations as far as we are aware of. Again, when Zelda, FF's long considered contemporary, was able to breaththrough with the last two mainline games selling over 20 million units and expanding the franchise's audience, it makes you wonder why can't Final Fantasy do the same or at least see some significant growth outside of the XIV MMO.

I don't think there has ever been a breakdown of the Pixel Remaster games by platform (though we can at least infer Steam sales from the various trackers) so it might have sold well on the Switch, but it might not have.

If only it were that easy to deliver a well-received title by critics and audiences alike...

I think FF15 had by far the greatest chance of being their sales breakthrough like BOTW, being the apex of open-world craze, but alas, it was squandered. Hard to imagine a universe where it had a 90+ Meta and GOTY status and it didn't sell at least a third or maybe even half of what The Witcher III did.

I guess I just disagreed with the phrase that it is "not actually that attractive to other publishers"; I think it's more that power is just a much bigger caveat with Switch that it is for PS/Xbox due to its low spec nature.

Regarding Final Fantasy, should Switch 2 be successful, I think late ports of FF7/16, if possible, could do well. Switch audience are big on JRPGs.

Ever since the series starting deviating so strongly from it's old styling, it's crazy to me that square haven't done a spinoff final fantasy series which is essentially made in the vision of the PS1 classics (7, 8, 9).... 

Similar level of narrative ambition, same ambition with art direction, so fully proportioned characters, not chibby esque (Bravely Default/WOFF) or HD pixel art. Same level of commited effort for battle animations and camera angles, so the camera actually being active/cinematic (unlike Bravely default etc), characters fully running up to enemies when attack, still turn based....

But a return to text boxes instead of every character being voiced, exploration is a modern equivalent of the prerendered backgrounds with fixed cameras, a return to world maps, only the big set pieces being fleshed out into full on cutscenes (similar the PS1 classics) , fixed camera angles mean less environmental work. A good level of detail but not photorealistic like the newer games.

A title like this could actually match the current sales of mainline AAA Final Fantasy but at a fraction of the budget and hit all platforms including Switch. If they made FF8 and 9 in 2 years, they could make a similar scope title in 2 years and actually return to an era of frequent new and original Final Fantasy. This spin off series sit in-between the big AAA releases.