Naoki Hamaguchi Shares Early Details on Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 3
- ⚡Xe⚡
- Mar 6
- 4 min read
A new interview with Naoki Hamaguchi has provided several early details about the third entry in the Final Fantasy VII Remake project. Speaking with Jason Schreier from Bloomberg, the director discussed the development status, and a number of gameplay elements planned for the next installment.
Square Enix has not yet announced a title or release window for the project. However, the third part of the trilogy is expected to be revealed later this year.
“I’m hoping it’s not going to be too far in the future.”
Hamaguchi also discussed the continuity of the development team. He previously attributed the success of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth to strong staff retention, and that continuity has continued for the third installment.
“I think the number is closer to 95% of the Rebirth staff that stayed on for the third project.”
The team “already has the foundation of the gameplay in place” and is currently focusing on fine-tuning and polishing the game.
Hamaguchi also explained the broader design philosophy for the trilogy. Each installment was planned to expand the gameplay systems and overall scale rather than repeating the same structure.
“We didn’t want the three installments to be a reskinning of the same game over and over again. We want to make sure we’re expanding with every installment in terms of scale, as well as retaining that freshness as you go into each installment.”
During the interview, Hamaguchi answered a series of rapid-fire questions about locations and gameplay elements from the original game.
One confirmed location is Rocket Town, which Hamaguchi said had previously been “switched around” during the development of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.
“Yeah, this is one of the elements we had to switch around with Rebirth. Yes.”
Another key location will be Wutai, which Hamaguchi described as one of the main areas in the third installment.
“It’s one of the main locations. Yuffie’s made a very prominent appearance, stating her case about her homeland. So if Wutai’s not featured, I think the fans are going to yell at me.”
The Highwind will also play a major role in gameplay.
“We want to expand on the gameplay experience. Flying the Highwind is a very large part of the third installment. Let me leave it at that.”
Hamaguchi also teased a new gameplay element involving Chocobos, though he avoided confirming whether breeding mechanics will return.
“I can’t say yay or nay on the actual breeding. But there is an element in the third installment involving Chocobos that is a little different than Rebirth.”
When asked about space travel, Hamaguchi did not confirm whether it will appear in the game but hinted that Rocket Town could be relevant to that topic.
“I’ll keep that a secret but considering Rocket Town is a yes…”
Underwater gameplay was also mentioned briefly. Hamaguchi referenced Motomu Toriyama, who handled the submarine portion of the game.
“It’s an interesting question because [Motomu] Toriyama handled the submarine portion of the game. So perhaps he has injected himself into there. And I will leave it at that.”
Finally, Hamaguchi hinted at how the next installment might begin. The ending of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth places the party in the Forgotten City, which in the original game leads to Icicle Inn and the Great Glacier area.
“Because it is a major element in the game, I won’t go deep into details. But considering that toward the end of Rebirth, we’re in the Forgotten City — and in the original you would go into Icicle Inn from there — I guess that hints at how the third installment will begin. I hope the players will look forward to it.”
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-⚡Xe⚡
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 Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, PS5® and PS4® consoles and PC. 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. It will launch on Nintendo Switch 2 and Xbox Series X|S and Xbox PC with Xbox Play Anywhere support on June 3, 2026.
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