While it easily made our list for the best of E3 2019, there are still major questions surrounding the Final Fantasy VII Remake release. The game has been in the works for many years and was one of the most exciting gameplay reveals of the show this year. After dropping the release date just before its E3 showcase, we still aren’t sure what to expect come release, and oddly enough, neither does Square Enix. More details below.
Final Fantasy VII Remake:
When the Final Fantasy VII Remake release date dropped alongside a new cinematic trailer on June 10th, most gamers expected the entire game would hit in March of next year. That apparently isn’t the case according to new details from Square Enix.
While there was basically no mention, outside of a couple light hints, during the Square Enix E3 presentation, this will not be your typical remake. When speaking with the game’s producer, Yoshinori Kitase, game leak extraordinaire, Jason Shreier gleamed more details about this mysterious launch. The thing releasing in March will just be the “first game” in the Final Fantasy VII Remake.
Two Blu-rays worth of Midgar:
The entire initial release takes place solely in Midgar – the original game’s opening environment – and is the size of an entire mainline Final Fantasy game on its own. During the E3 2019 presentation, Square said Midgar, or the first game in the Final Fantasy VII Remake, is big enough to cover two full Blu-ray discs. What?! Midgar represented a tiny fraction of FF7 (maybe 10%), but Square has decided to alter the experience in a major way, adding what we can only imagine is a giant amount of new content.
When we started out planning the plot for the first game, it hit us again… at that point we decided we were going to focus first game on Midgar and what happens in Midgar.
Final Fantasy VII Remake – 2 still in Pre-production:
Yoshinori Kitase went on to say the dev team is in the process of finishing up the first game in the Final Fantasy VII Remake, while only in the planning stages of the second.
9to5Toys’ Take:
While we wish we had more answers for you, Square cannot really even say with any certainty what exactly is going on here. One thing is for sure though, what we have seen from the first game is looking phenomenal. A modernized combat system and impressive visuals bring new life to one of gaming’s greatest, but who knows how long it’s going to take to fully release. The main game systems and art assets must already be in place for the first game, so it might not take another 5 years for Final Fantasy VII Remake – 2 to release, but it’s hard to say.
Is this thing going to cross console generations? Considering it just turned 10% of a game into a double Blu-ray disc epic, is Square trying to stretch this inevitable cash cow out for the next 5 years or more? It could be incredible judging by reactions from E3, but I’m not sure anyone wanted Square to change one of the most beloved games in history this much in the first place.
The Final Fantasy 7 Remake (game 1) releases on March 3rd, 2020 for PlayStation 4. Pre-orders are now available at Amazon.
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