Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 director Naoki Hamaguchi has assured fans that despite Square Enix admitting last year that Rebirth “did not meet expectations,” the second part of the Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy has been “doing very well” on both PC and PS5, and the team has been able to channel that success into a “high-quality third instalment.”
“The second entry, FFVII Rebirth, has been doing very well on both PS5 and PC,” Hamaguchi told Automaton. “I know some fans have expressed concerns, but please rest assured, we’ll be able to deliver a proper, high-quality third instalment.”
The concern revolved around the suggestion that the scope of Part 3 might have been scaled back as a result of Rebirth’s disappointing profits. But Rebirth has enjoyed a comeback of sorts after debuting strongly on PC via Steam.
Hamaguchi also took the opportunity to assure the community that development on Final Fantasy 7 Part 3 is going “extremely well,” adding: “The game is shaping up nicely. A lot of the content is already playable, and the game’s direction and form are firmly set in place. Right now, the team is united around refining everything.”
RPG fans have been on the hunt for news about the next entry in the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy since its last installment, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, launched in early 2024. We know development started as early as June 2022, with Square Enix saying last year that its goal was to see it launch by 2027. Excitement for the third and final chapter in the trilogy grew even more when the team revealed that it had completed its story earlier this year.
And though he was still being a little coy with the details, in a separate interview with German outlet JPGames, Hamaguchi revealed that the “key words […] that underpin the design philosophy and then the theme for each game” were “reunion” for Remake, and “bonds” for Rebirth. The third instalment also has a key term, but Hamaguchi’s keeping that to himself for now.
“In terms of development [of Part 3], we’re working on that right now,” he added. “We’ve got builds running where you can actually experience what that theme is through the gameplay. And we know where we’re going with it. It’s looking like it’s going in the right direction, and we’ll keep working on it and make it even better. So hopefully in the near future we’ll be able to reveal some of that.
Best Mainline Final Fantasy Games
Best Mainline Final Fantasy Games
“And yeah, this is going to be the climax, the finale of the series. And we’re going to make it a suitable finale, a really great send-off for the game. It will be something ideally we hope will please fans, will delight the fans of this much-loved series, and really reward everyone for sticking with us to the end. So look forward to that. More information in the not too distant future. It’s all in safe hands!”
Co-director Tetsuya Nomura similarly acknowledge he’d heard the cries for updates on Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 and Kingdom Hearts 4 earlier this month, and happily reported that development was “progressing really smoothly.” While we wait, you can read up why the Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 team “will not cheat” when it comes to Final Fantasy 7’s iconic airship.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
