Final Fantasy VII Remake and Rebirth Sales Surge After Revelation Reveal, Physical Release Still Under Consideration

In an interview with AUTOMATON WEST, Naoki Hamaguchi discussed the reaction to the final entry in the Final Fantasy VII remake trilogy, how player feedback is influencing development, the performance of Final Fantasy VII Remake and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and the possibility of a physical release.

Following the announcement of Final Fantasy VII Revelation during Summer Game Fest 2026, Hamaguchi said the team was surprised by the amount of attention surrounding the reveal. He explained that the trailer was designed to highlight the gameplay experience and the key features that define the final entry, while also giving fans a closer look at characters, costumes, and animations.

“What pleased me the most was that the exact things we were aiming to convey came across to fans very directly.”

The response from players has also continued to influence how the team approaches development. While the main story and creative direction remain unchanged, Hamaguchi explained that feedback from Final Fantasy VII Rebirth players has already led to gameplay adjustments for Revelation, including changes focused on reducing frustration during gameplay.

“When it comes to gameplay and game design, especially playability, I believe we absolutely have to keep listening to players and minimize points of frustration wherever we can.”

The discussions surrounding Final Fantasy VII have remained a major part of the community experience, with fans continuing to debate different aspects of the remake trilogy. Hamaguchi said he sees these conversations as a positive sign of how much meaning players find in the series.

“When people discuss and get heated about the minigames, the story, or the relationships between characters in FFVII, I think that only happens because they see value in those elements.”

The announcement of Final Fantasy VII Revelation has also led to increased sales for the previous entries. Hamaguchi confirmed that Final Fantasy VII Remake and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth have both continued to perform strongly, with sales seeing a significant increase after the Summer Game Fest reveal.

“Following Summer Game Fest 2026, we saw an enormous response in terms of sales. I can’t share specific figures, but sales are several times better than we had expected.

I think fans and dedicated fan communities are very interested in how many copies the games have sold, but I can say they’re performing even better than most people probably imagine. That means more and more people are playing the previous entries, which gives me great confidence as we prepare to release FFVII Revelation to the world.

I know there are requests for us to disclose the numbers, but that’s something that falls under our investor relations policies, so I hope people understand.”

Hamaguchi also pointed toward the continued growth of PC gaming markets, especially in English-speaking regions and the Simplified Chinese market, where the team has seen strong results for both previous entries.

Looking back at the development of the trilogy, Hamaguchi highlighted the importance of maintaining the same team throughout production. More than 90% of the staff who worked on Final Fantasy VII Remake continued through Final Fantasy VII Revelation, allowing the project to move forward with a consistent development team.

“While a typical AAA game tends to take three or four years to make, we’ve spent more than ten years creating three games – FFVII Remake, FFVII Rebirth, and FFVII Revelation.”

For Hamaguchi, the continued support from players has been one of the biggest motivations throughout the project, creating a strong connection between the development team and the community.

“Of course, Final Fantasy VII is an incredibly powerful IP itself, but more than anything, I feel it was the players’ support that gave us a sense of purpose.”

The interview also touched on the future of physical game releases. While Hamaguchi acknowledged the industry's shift toward digital distribution, he said physical editions still hold value for both creators and fans.

“Personally, I’m in favor of physical editions. Nothing makes me happier than those moments at community events when fans bring their games for me to sign.”

Regarding Final Fantasy VII Revelation specifically, Hamaguchi confirmed that the team is currently exploring options for a physical retail release while considering platform requirements and technical limitations.

"As for FFVII Revelation, I’m aware that, following SIE’s announcement, some fans have become concerned that the game might end up being a digital-only release.

While this is all I’m able to share at this time, given the current stage of FFVII Revelation’s development, a complete change in direction would be difficult for us; therefore, we are actively exploring the possibility of releasing a physical retail version. That said, every platform has its own regulations, whether that’s support for Game-Key Cards or media capacity limitations. Right now, we’re discussing internally how to best preserve the game’s quality while also meeting fans’ expectations.

Personally, I’d like to continue working toward making a physical edition happen."

Source:

automaton-media.com

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About FINAL FANTASY VII

First released in 1997 on the PlayStation® computer entertainment system, FINAL FANTASY VII will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2027. The game is universally regarded as a landmark title of the RPG genre. The original title received high praise for its epic storyline, unique characters, and movie sequences that utilized the most cutting-edge technology of the time. Since then, the game revolving around iconic hero Cloud Strife and his pursuit of the antagonist Sephiroth has sold over 15.7 million copies worldwide and continues to receive widespread acclaim from critics and fans around the world. The popular game has expanded into spin-offs, films and merchandise.

Now, Square Enix’s FINAL FANTASY VII Remake Series, created by a team of original and new developers, retells the story of the genre-redefining RPG across three distinct games. The first game of the trilogy, FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE, is available for PS4® consoles. The expanded edition, FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE, and the second entry, FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH, are now available for Nintendo Switch 2, XBOX Series X|S, XBOX PC, PS5® consoles and PC. FINAL FANTASY VII REVELATION, the climactic conclusion of the series, will release for PS5 consoles, Nintendo Switch 2, XBOX Series X|S and PC via Steam, Epic Games Store and XBOX PC, in Spring 2027.