As of 2025 next year, it will mark the 10th anniversary since the initial reveal for the Final Fantasy VII remake. And while Square Enix has already offered both Remake & Rebirth since then, it is not the full promise. Of course, this is in reference to the complete three-part storyline that is prepared for the entirety of the Final Fantasy VII reimagining from Square Enix.
Since the first game’s release in 2020, development took roughly four years between both installments. Then add an additional 5 since the reveal to the first part arriving and a decade is almost complete. As of February 2024, Square Enix did confirm that Part Three is already in active development, but the earliest sign of release is expected somewhere in 2027.
However, in a new interview with CG World Japan – and translated by @Genki_JPN on X – it is revealed that a jump to a new engine could speed up development. FF7 Rebirth Director Naoki Hamaguchi elaborated a transition to Unreal Engine 5 could bring a faster release for the new entry. Hamaguchi did press the wait for Rebirth took four year when both Rebirth & Intergrade development times were parallel with one another.
In one aspect, this is great news for Final Fantasy VII fans looking to get their hands on the next game sooner. But on the other side of the coin, it could lead to more issues. Unreal Engine 5 is troublesome to say the least and has proven to come with its own unique set of caveats. What’s more, anticipated projects like PlatinumGames’ Scalebound failed to see the light of day thanks to the issues many Japanese teams face with Unreal Engine.
However, that is not true in all cases. Over at Sega, RGG Studio did experiment with Unreal Engine and found success with Like A Dragon: Ishin. Atop of that, it revealed that the firm did use the execution with Unreal Engine to better its own in-house Dragon Engine which will be iterated as new releases roll out. You can read the full report by heading here.
Are you interested in seeing the next Final Fantasy VII remake in Unreal Engine 5 or no?
