Hamaguchi Says Another Multi-Part Final Fantasy Remake Would Be a “Tricky Decision”
In an interview with Radio Times Gaming, Naoki Hamaguchi was asked whether the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy’s success could make future remakes more likely, or whether its scale makes similar projects too difficult to undertake.
"I think both are probably true."
"First of all, VII Remake has been very successful, and it has contributed significantly to the company from a business perspective. So, from a business or a management perspective, I can well believe that people might look at that and say, 'Well, you know, it succeeded. Let's do the same again.'"
"But personally, having worked on the series as well, I think that it's quite difficult to take something that was a single title and split it up, because if the reaction to the first installment is not quite what you were hoping for, then you may be left with a difficult business decision about what to do with the second installment, for example."
Hamaguchi also reflected on the Final Fantasy VII Remake project’s 12-year development period.
"The 12 years [of Final Fantasy VII Remake's development] went by in a flash, but when you think about the proportion of a person's life that amounts to, it's actually a fairly significant chunk."
He said a project of that length can also create issues if a director or other key staff decide not to continue with the following installment.
"I obviously have been extremely motivated to keep working on this project and have gone through the whole thing, but you could get people who, for example, are the director on the first in a series like this, and they say, 'That's enough. I think I've had my fill. The second installment can be done by someone else.'"
"And then you'd run into problems where maybe the overall atmosphere, the vision, things would change. Fans would be confused. So, planning for that kind of long-term stable development is also a bit of a risk from a business perspective."
"So, I do think it would be quite a tricky decision to make."
When asked which game he would personally like to see remade, Hamaguchi again named Final Fantasy VI.
"That had a lot of inspiration for me, a lot of influence on me as a child."
He also mentioned The Witcher 3, saying he would be interested in a full remake as a fan, although the thought of actually developing one made him reconsider.
"If they did a full remake, I would be there. Although, thinking about it for a moment from the perspective of a developer, if I were told I had to do that, goosebumps. No, no, that would be too much, so I don't want to say anything too lightly."
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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.
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