Final Fantasy VII Remake Nears Conclusion as Hamaguchi Reflects on a Decade of Development
- ⚡Xe⚡
- 1 minute ago
- 4 min read
During Comic Fiesta 2025, Naoki Hamaguchi spoke with GamerBraves about the long-term vision behind the trilogy and the challenges of expanding a legacy title. After nearly a decade of development, he stated that the project was never meant to be a strict one-to-one recreation of the 1997 release. Instead, the remake was developed as a reinterpretation, designed to reflect the long history of Final Fantasy VII while also standing as a complete work on its own.
Hamaguchi explained that from the beginning, the shared goal among the project’s leadership was not just to modernize the original game, but to include elements from the wider Final Fantasy VII universe. He described this as a careful balancing act, especially when deciding how much existing material to include for players whose experience is limited to the original game.
“They didn’t just want to make a remake, they wanted to make a story that could include the compilation of the spin-offs and the soul that they have birthed across the years into this new project and bring a fresh feel to Final Fantasy VII.”
He noted that characters introduced outside the original game have grown more popular over time, which influenced decisions about what to include and how clearly those elements should be presented.
When asked which character changed the most during the remake process, Hamaguchi pointed to Barret Wallace. He explained that Barret’s original portrayal was shaped by the technical limits of the time. With the remake, the team was able to explore the character in greater depth.
“But currently, with the new Barret, the Barret in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, we were able to showcase more of Barret’s character, personality, the sort of justice he seeks, and the things he wants to protect.”
Hamaguchi also said that Barret, like the other characters, stands against fate in the remake series. He added that player feedback following the release of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth included many positive reactions to Barret’s development.
Speaking about the large number of minigames in Rebirth, Hamaguchi explained that they were added to help with pacing. He said that long stretches of similar gameplay can start to feel repetitive, which the team wanted to avoid.
“So, to sort of combat this and keep that fresh feeling of going through the game, that’s why we introduced these minigames, to sort of add a diversity of experience as you’re playing the game, to keep up a good rhythm, so to say.”
He acknowledged that player preferences vary and said that including different gameplay styles was a deliberate choice. He also pointed out that the original Final Fantasy VII already featured a wide variety of minigames.
Hamaguchi also addressed comments he had previously made about Final Fantasy VI. He said that while FFVI was personally important to him, the remake project required strict respect for the FFVII script, and that no elements from FFVI were added to the remake series.
He added that after working on the FFVII Remake project for nearly ten years, he would prefer not to lead another large-scale remake.
“Rather than myself heading another remake project, I would rather see maybe a new creator come in and put myself in the support section.”
Reflecting on the overall scope of the project, Hamaguchi said that a remake of this size requires strong commitment, and that very few studios can support such long-term development. As the trilogy moves closer to its conclusion, he said the team is also thinking about how to reach players beyond the existing FFVII fanbase.
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About FINAL FANTASY VII
First released in 1997 on the PlayStation® computer entertainment system, FINAL FANTASY VII celebrated its 25th Anniversary in 2022. The game is universally regarded as a hallmark 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 15.3 million copies worldwide and continues to receive widespread acclaim from critics and fans around the world. The popular game has even expanded into spin-offs, films and merchandise.
Now, Square Enix’s FINAL FANTASY VII remake project created by a team of original and new developers, retells the story of the genre-redefining RPG across three distinct, and standalone games. The first game of the trilogy, FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE is now available on the PC and the PS5® and PS4® consoles, will be available on Jan. 22, 2026 for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, and Nintendo Switch™ 2 platforms. FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH, the second game in the trilogy, has been praised by both players and critics across the globe, earning more than 125 perfect scores from media and 40 Game of the Year awards, and is available now for PC and the PS5® console.