Square Enix Game Director Yoshinori Kitase has offered up new details regarding the company’s plan to release the long-anticipated Final Fantasy VII Remake as an “episodic, multi-part” series in the vein of the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy.
First announced in the aftermath of last weekend’s PlayStation Experience community event, long-time Final Fantasy veteran Tetsuya Nomura noted that if Square had opted to release the remake in one fell swoop it would lead to content being cut from the final release – not to mention the fact that, with Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts 3 also gobbling up resources, the fabled FFVII Remake wouldn’t launch until 2018 or 2019.
Instead, dolling out the overhaul across separate installments affords the development team a greater canvas to work on, with Kitase emphasising that the Remake will have the ability to “go beyond the story, world, and experience of Final Fantasy 7 in ways we’ve always dreamed of.” That’s quite the mission statement, although in a full blog post via Square Enix’s website, the Game Director offered further insight into the creative process at work.
“We would have to cut various parts and create a condensed version of Final Fantasy 7,” he explained. “We knew none of you would have wanted that … I hope that by explaining a little more about our design decisions that you can appreciate the size of this project and what we have planned for this remake. From the depths of Midgar to the skies above the Planet. The multi-part format enables us to expand the story and turn it into an epic experience for fans and new gamers alike.”
Aiming to bring the same density of content coupled with the eye-catching visuals glimpsed in both the E3 trailer and last week’s gameplay debut, Square Enix is already beginning to set the bar high for the Final Fantasy VII Remake, and we’re hoping by carving out an extended development window that the studio will be able to do good on its vision.
No word yet on a release timeline for the first installment in said series, but we’ll keep you up-to-date as more information comes to light.
