Tetsuya Nomura Revisits Unused Final Fantasy VII Concepts for the 29th Anniversary
- ⚡Xe⚡
- 3 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Final Fantasy VII is celebrating its 29th anniversary, and Square Enix marked the occasion by releasing an early concept illustration from the game’s initial planning stage. The image was shared through the official Final Fantasy VII Remake social media account and included commentary from Creative Director Tetsuya Nomura.
According to Nomura, many early Final Fantasy VII materials have already been made public in various formats over the years. Because of this, the team struggled to find content that had never been shown before. Instead, Nomura chose to re-release an early image that had previously appeared only once and without explanation. This time, the image was presented in full, including explanatory notes that were removed when it was first published.
The artwork dates back to the earliest plot phase of Final Fantasy VII. It features an early design of Cloud in the foreground and shows a character holding a gun on an elevated structure. That character, known as Johnny Needles, existed only in the early story outline and is completely unrelated to the Johnny who appears in the final game. Nomura explained that aspects of Johnny Needles were later carried over into the character Reno.
The image also includes figures resembling Avalanche members, though at that stage they had no established identity or setting. The artwork reflects a broader early design philosophy that differed significantly from previous Final Fantasy titles. Instead of using fixed battlefields, the team envisioned combat taking place while moving through layered urban environments.
This approach could not be implemented in the original release due to technical constraints. Nomura noted that this unrealized concept has since been achieved in the Final Fantasy VII Remake series, where battles unfold within fully navigable environments. He positioned the Remake project as an opportunity to revisit and implement ideas that were out of reach during the original development.
Nomura framed the Remake series as a long-term effort to recover and realize these early concepts and encouraged fans to continue following how those ideas are being incorporated into the modern releases.
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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 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.