Final Fantasy VII Remake is almost like a double-edged sword. While we finally have a release date, one that’s not so far away, we really don’t have any idea what exactly this release will consist of. It has been confirmed that Final Fantasy VII Remake will still be releasing in multiple parts, and while the first part has obviously been mapped out, the future is still up in the air. It looks like even Square Enix is unsure how many chapters this heavily-anticipated remake will span, or even how long overall development will take.
When asked upfront by Game Informer about how many games Final Fantasy VII Remake would include, producer Yoshinori Kitase gave quite the telling answer. “We can’t say for sure because we do not know ourselves,” Kitase replied. That answer may make die-hard fans slightly anxious, as they’ve already had to wait almost four years to play just the first part of the remake. While the second chapter of Final Fantasy VII Remake does appear to be in the planning stages, it seems like Square Enix isn’t quite sure what it will include at this time.
With the first part of Final Fantasy VII Remake almost completed, one would think that development on any subsequent chapters would be faster. However, there doesn’t appear to be a clear answer on that right now. On the topic, Kitase himself quite frankly said, “I do not expect it to be dramatically shorter.”
In a way it does make sense. While major assets like character models will already be available, there will still be plenty of elements that need to be made from the ground up. With the first part primarily taking place in Midgar, locations like Nibelheim and characters like Yuffie and Cait Sith likely haven’t been made yet. Unfortunately, a follow-up email from Square Enix meant to clarify the matter only created more confusion.
“Due to the work already done on the first game, we anticipate that the development of the second game will be more efficient,” the statement reads. The real answer as for how long subsequent development will take is likely some mixture of both answers. In addition, we don’t really know how long development of Final Fantasy VII Remake has taken, as it went through a massive reboot following its initial reveal.
While we’ll likely have to wait a painfully long time before we can experience the entire Final Fantasy VII Remake saga, Square Enix is working hard to ensure each part feels substantial. The first chapter will comprise two Blu-Ray discs, and will have a length comparable to most mainline Final Fantasy games.
The first part of Final Fantasy VII Remake will release on March 3, 2020.
[Source: Game Informer]
