In spring 2027, Square Enix will release Final Fantasy 7 Revelation, the third and final chapter of the Remake trilogy. Director Naoki Hamaguchi recently spoke at Final Fantasy Fan Fest in Berlin, discussing the game's development, the upcoming collaboration with Final Fantasy 14, and how he handles fan expectations.
Collaboration with Final Fantasy 14
Hamaguchi appeared on stage alongside Final Fantasy 14 director Naoki Yoshida to announce that Final Fantasy 7-themed raids are coming to the MMO as part of its new Evercold expansion next year. Hamaguchi said the starting point was internal conversations about the release dates of both Evercold and Revelation being close together. "The idea was that instead of just keeping them completely separate, why don't we do something together to really energize the Final Fantasy franchise as a whole?" he explained.
He noted that the development pipeline for a live service game like Final Fantasy 14 is completely different from the Remake trilogy. "The development cycle is just completely different, and so it was very noticeable that obviously the way they work with their schedule is very different," Hamaguchi said. He highlighted the flexibility in single-player development versus the constraints of an MMO, adding that both teams are "extremely passionate" and creating "quite a lot of work" for the development team.
Gameplay Evolution Across the Trilogy
Hamaguchi discussed how each game in the Remake series offers a distinct gameplay experience. "If Remake, Rebirth and Revelation were all exactly the same gameplay experience, I think the player would get a bit tired of that," he said. "One of my goals is for the gameplay experience between Remake, Rebirth and Revelation to change and evolve."
In Remake, players had a tight story-driven experience in Midgar. Rebirth expanded to a vast world map on a 2D plane. Revelation adds height with the ability to explore using the Highwind, parachuting, and flying on Chocobos. "This is an extra dimension that we've added to exploration of the world map to make sure that it doesn't just feel the same and is really delivering that new and fresh gameplay experience," Hamaguchi said.
Returning Locations and Terrain Changes
For returning locations from Rebirth, Hamaguchi explained that Early in Revelation's story, the Black Materia takes effect and Meteor appears, causing terrain changes. "Exploring exactly the same place is a little boring," he said. The terrain will be different, new exploration methods are available, and there will be new quests as people react to the weapons and Meteor. He expects these changes to give a "completely different feel" to areas revisited.
Fan Feedback and Mini-Games
Hamaguchi said he does check fan reactions regularly but does not let it drive creative decisions for the storyline. "Story driven media isn't the kind of thing that you do by committee," he stated. However, he does listen when it comes to gameplay and user experience. For instance, after Rebirth, many comments focused on mini-games. "I didn't necessarily think that the answer was just to have fewer mini-games in Revelation," he said. Instead, they added difficulty levels and the option to skip mini-games entirely. Rewards for mini-games are now cosmetic or relevant to the mini-game itself, not tied to battle progression, addressing a balance issue from Rebirth where players felt forced to play for rewards.
Playtime and Player Choice
Hamaguchi noted that playtime is considered but not the primary focus. "I think it's about the level of freedom that you have and the choices you can make," he said. Revelation offers similar content volume to Rebirth, but with improved player choice. Rewards for side content match the content type, so players can focus on combat, Queen's Blood, or everything without feeling compelled to do all. Trophies have also been balanced to be slightly easier than in Rebirth.
Final Fantasy 7 Revelation is due out in spring 2027 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2.
