Fans of Xbox Game Pass have had their fair share of disappointments when it comes to theFinal Fantasyfranchise. In what now feels like a fever dream, multiple classic titles were once available on the platform. However, that all changed with the release ofFinal Fantasy 7 Remake, after which those classic titles have been slowly removed.Final Fantasy 13: Lightning Returnsis leaving Xbox Game Pass on February 28, officially marking the end of an era. However, another of Square Enix’s popular titles,PowerWash Simulator, recently announced a crossover DLC featuring locations and items fromFinal Fantasy 7. By providing the onlyFinal Fantasycontent on the Game Pass platform, as well as the first content tied toFF7 Remake, the DLC essentially functions as a Trojan Horse.
PowerWash Simulatorhas been a surprise hit for developer FuturLab and publisherSquare Enixever since its launch in May 2021. The game tasks players with cleaning dirt and build-up from a host of locations, offering them a chance to relax and feel some simple satisfaction. Last month,PowerWash Simulatorreleased its first crossover DLC with another property,Tomb Raider,which fans received quite positively. With the announcement that its next crossover is with the iconicFinal Fantasy 7, players on nearly every platform can enjoy a relaxing evening cleaning some of the most popular items, vehicles, and locations in the franchise’s history.
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Final Fantasy Content Is Slowly Shifting Away From The Xbox
In 2019, Microsoft and Square Enix revealed that 10 games inFinal Fantasy’s catalog were coming to Game Pass in what appeared to be a partnership between the two companies. Over the years, titles that range fromFinal Fantasy 7all the way to theFinal Fantasy 13trilogy,also includingFinal Fantasy 15, arrived on the Xbox Game Pass Service. However, 2020’s release ofFinal Fantasy 7 Remake, as a timed PlayStation exclusive, marked a shift that would spell the beginning of the end for Xbox fans.
When the title’s exclusivity ended, it arrived on PC with no indication that ports for other consoles were in the works. In the time since, theFinal Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade DLCwas released on PS5, and the upcomingFinal Fantasy 16was confirmed to be a PS5 exclusive. It appears thatSquare Enixhas left Xbox Game Passfor its competitor, PS Plus Premium, as all 10 titles have been removed from the Game Pass Platform, and are slowly being added to PS Plus Premium.
Fans of the PlayStation can currently use Premium to accessFinal Fantasy 7,FF8 Remastered, FF9, FF10and10-2, FF12,andFF15,in addition to the PS-exclusiveFF7 RemakeandIntergrade. PowerWash Simulator, which has long been on the Game Pass service, was recently released for the PlayStation as well.Final Fantasytitles are still available to purchase via the Microsoft store, but their removal from Game Pass signals a deepening partnership between Sony and Square-Enix moving forward.
PowerWash Simulator’s DLC Brings Final Fantasy Content to the Xbox
With the total removal ofFinal Fantasytitles from Xbox services, next month’sFinal Fantasy 7DLC forPowerWash Simulatorwill act as the only connection between the fan-favorite series and Game Pass Ultimate. Most notably, it is a Trojan Horse for modernFinal Fantasy VIIcontent on the Xbox console. ThoughRemakeandIntergradeshow no indication of coming to the Xbox, vehicle, weapon, and location models featured in those releases will appear inPowerWash Simulator.
On Twitter, the official account for the game reveals that players “will be given a mission to polish familiar places and enemies such as ‘Seventh Heaven’ and ‘Guard Scorpion.'” It appears safe to assume that other notable fixtures ofFinal Fantasy 7 Remakewill make an appearance, in a unique experience for fans on any platform. In a time of exclusivity and studio acquisitions, many longtime fans are seeing their favorite franchises restricted to certain platforms.
WithFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthannounced as another PS exclusive, it appears that DLC such asPowerWash Simulator’s will provide the only fresh content forFinal Fantasyfans on other consoles. Xbox users are therefore given a special gift byPowerWash Simulator’s crossover withFinal Fantasy 7.Though it may not be what longtime fans have been hoping for, DLC like this leaves the door open for much larger crossovers to occur across platforms in the future.PowerWash Simulatorplayers, in particular, appear set to get up close and personal with some of gaming’s biggest franchises.
PowerWash Simulatoris currently available on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
