Fans of Xbox Game Pass have had their fair share of disappointments when it comes to the Final Fantasy franchise. In what now feels like a fever dream, multiple classic titles were once available on the platform. However, that all changed with the release of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, after which those classic titles have been slowly removed. Final Fantasy 13: Lightning Returns is 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 from Final Fantasy 7. By providing the only Final Fantasy content on the Game Pass platform, as well as the first content tied to FF7 Remake, the DLC essentially functions as a Trojan Horse.

PowerWash Simulator has been a surprise hit for developer FuturLab and publisher Square Enix ever 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 Simulator released its first crossover DLC with another property, Tomb Raider, which fans received quite positively. With the announcement that its next crossover is with the iconic Final 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

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In 2019, Microsoft and Square Enix revealed that 10 games in Final 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 from Final Fantasy 7 all the way to the Final Fantasy 13 trilogy, also including Final Fantasy 15, arrived on the Xbox Game Pass Service. However, 2020's release of Final 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, the Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade DLC was released on PS5, and the upcoming Final Fantasy 16 was confirmed to be a PS5 exclusive. It appears that Square Enix has left Xbox Game Pass for 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 access Final Fantasy 7, FF8 Remastered, FF9, FF10 and 10-2, FF12, and FF15, in addition to the PS-exclusive FF7 Remake and Intergrade. PowerWash Simulator, which has long been on the Game Pass service, was recently released for the PlayStation as well. Final Fantasy titles 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

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With the total removal of Final Fantasy titles from Xbox services, next month's Final Fantasy 7 DLC for PowerWash Simulator will act as the only connection between the fan-favorite series and Game Pass Ultimate. Most notably, it is a Trojan Horse for modern Final Fantasy VII content on the Xbox console. Though Remake and Intergrade show no indication of coming to the Xbox, vehicle, weapon, and location models featured in those releases will appear in PowerWash 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 of Final Fantasy 7 Remake will 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.

With Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth announced as another PS exclusive, it appears that DLC such as PowerWash Simulator's will provide the only fresh content for Final Fantasy fans on other consoles. Xbox users are therefore given a special gift by PowerWash Simulator's crossover with Final 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 Simulator players, in particular, appear set to get up close and personal with some of gaming's biggest franchises.

PowerWash Simulator is currently available on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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