Square Enix’s Final Fantasy VII remake project has been a massive undertaking, with the 1997 PSOne classic having been remade over the course of 10 years, two console generations and three entire games. In discussing the potential for other such remake projects similar to FFVII, series producer Naoki Yoshida (Yoshi-P) revealed why this likely would not be a great idea.

As transcribed / translated by Genki_JPN, Final Fantasy series producer Naoki Yoshida was asked about the prospects of remaking the likes of Final Fantasy 6, 8 or 9 following the conclusion of their work on FFVII. Explaining why this perhaps would not be the best idea, Yoshida stated:

“Of course I understand the feelings of the players, but you gotta think about it. Look at Final Fantasy VI, it's such an incredibly huge game. The scale is just immense. And the same applies for other titles like Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy IX. So of course now because you are working on the Final Fantasy VII series. I do get that people would be asking for Remakes of other titles. But if we did remake those other titles. We'd probably have to release them in 4 instalments or even 5 instalments.”

As mentioned, Final Fantasy VII’s remake has been a lifelong project for many, with a remake first being announced all the way back in the 2000s for the PS2 – though this ultimately never came to be. Then, a remake of the game’s intro cutscene was released in 2005 as part of the PlayStation 3’s marketing, further fueling desires for the project.
Of course, Final Fantasy VII Remake would eventually be officially announced for real this time during 2015’s iconic PlayStation E3 presentation.

Nearly 30 years on from the game’s original release – and almost as long since talks of a remake first popped up – the Final Fantasy VII Remake project is almost at an end. Given how long it's taken, it is perhaps best that the likes of FFVI, VIII or IX are seemingly not planned to be receiving a similar treatment.

KitGuru says: What do you think of the FFVII Remake trilogy? Would you like to see similar remakes for other entries in the franchise? Are you willing to wait a decade+ for them? Let us know down below.

Final Fantasy is one of the biggest and longest-running franchises in gaming, with its roots stretching all the way back to the 1980s. Despite this, the IP has fallen in popularity somewhat over the past few years. According to Square Enix’s Yoshi-P, one of the reasons for its fall in cache is due to the “release intervals for new titles” having “gotten longer.”

Taking part in a mini video documentary discussing the release of the free-to-play mobile battler ‘DISSIDIA DUELLUM FINAL FANTASY’ long-time franchise producer/director Yoshi-P spoke pretty candidly on where the series is at currently, stating:

“The Final Fantasy series has an incredibly long history. I'm 53 now, and I've been playing since Final Fantasy 1 in real time. But for younger generations – people who grew up naturally accustomed to action-based combat and online competitive play – the recent entries in the series may have been harder to engage with.”

Yoshida continued, “Part of that is simply because I'm sorry to say . . . the release intervals for new titles have gotten longer, so some players haven't really had the chance to connect with the series the way older fans did. My hope is that both long-time Final Fantasy fans and those who love the characters themselves can enjoy this as a completely new kind of game.”

While it’s hard to imagine that the free-to-play DISSIDIA DUELLUM FINAL FANTASY will be what brings the series back into the limelight, it is encouraging at least to know that Square Enix themselves are aware of just how long their Final Fantasy games have been taking. It will be interesting to see how long we will have to wait to hear about a potential Final Fantasy XVII.

KitGuru says: What do you think of the Final Fantasy franchise currently? Will it ever rise back up to the top, or have too many other franchises surpassed it? Let us know your thoughts down below.