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Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2 has been detailed by developer Square Enix, and it’s now called Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. The new title was announced as part of a 25th Anniversary Celebration for Square’s iconic RPG. That showcase also brought word that a Crisis Core Remaster is in development, Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade is out now on Steam, and that the Final Fantasy 7 Remake has become a trilogy. It was a lot of information packed into a very short showcase, although it has confirmed our suspicions that there’s never been a better time to be a fan of Final Fantasy!
Still, it was our first look at Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth on PS5 that we can’t stop thinking about. News surrounding Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2 has been a long time coming, and it’s great to see Square Enix pull back the curtain; The first game released way back in 2020 for PS4, and we’ve been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to join back up with Cloud and the gang as they go off in search of Sephiroth. Thankfully, the wait is almost over. So join us as we explore everything we know so far about Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth release date
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has a tentative release window of “next winter”. While the winter season typically runs December through March, we’re expecting Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2 to land in 2023. That’ll make it three long years since the original release of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, but with the enhanced ‘Intergrade’ version of the game now available on PS5 and PC, there’s plenty of time to get caught up and play through Cloud’s reimagined adventure.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth platforms
The only platform Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is confirmed to launch on is PS5. While Final Fantasy 7 Remake did originally release on PS4, it would appear that Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2 is skipping the platform entirely as Square Enix focuses its efforts on the new generation of consoles. Square Enix is yet to confirm whether a Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth PC release is on the cards, although with Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade now available on Steam, there is a fair chance that Rebirth will make it there eventually.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth gameplay
The Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth gameplay is expected to follow in the same mold as Final Fantasy 7 Remake – high-quality production values, fast action-leaning combat, and the sort of world building that only a Final Fantasy game is able to deliver. The Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth reveal trailer was light in-engine, showcasing the fidelity strides Square Enix is taking with Part 2 of the Remake trilogy, although we’re yet to see what changes are being made to combat and exploration. Expect more details in the coming months.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth trailer
The Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth trailer might have only been one minute and 34 seconds long, but we’ll be dining out on it for weeks. This short glimpse into what Square Enix has planned for Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2 has certainly piqued our interest, particularly as it shows Cloud and Sephiroth stalking some familiar areas as the party pushes out of Midgar and into the wider world. Of course, the Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth reveal trailer also gave us our first look at the upgraded visual style, with Square Enix leveraging the power of the PS5 for this new RPG adventure.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth story
If you played both Final Fantasy 7 from 1997 and Final Fantasy 7 Remake from 2020, you’ll know by now that the games have drastically different storylines. Square Enix took the framework of the original and reimagined it for a new generation of players, which means there’s little to know for certain on what twists and turns we can expect from the Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth story. However, we do know that this will be a direct continuation of where Intergrade left off – with Cloud arriving at the village of Kalm, and Zack entering the Sector 5 church in search of Aerith – before allowing the wider party to explore the wider world beyond the boundaries of Midgar.
Additionally, creative director Tetsuya Nomura says (opens in new tab) you won’t need to have played either Final Fantasy 7 or Final Fantasy 7 Remake to enjoy Part 2 of the adventure. “Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is being designed so that people can enjoy this game whether they know the original game or not. In fact, new players might even enjoy starting their Final Fantasy 7 journey with Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Cloud and his friends embark on a new journey in this game, and I believe that the scenes that they witness after leaving Midgar will give players a fresh, new experience.”
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth development
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth development is thought to have been ongoing since before production wrapped up on 2020’s Final Fantasy Remake for PS4. Square Enix has since launched the Intermission DLC, and Final Fantasy Remake Intergrade for PS5 and PC. Producer Yoshinori Kitase acknowledges that the three year wait has been tough, although he believes the end result will be worth it: “Three years may feel like a long time for all the fans who are eagerly awaiting the next game, but we want to offer the best experience possible and reassure everyone that development is proceeding at an astonishingly fast pace for such a large-scale HD title.”
Creative director Tetsuya Nomura had this to say regarding development on Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2: “The development of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has been progressing rapidly since we adopted a new development structure. A title of this scale, in which everything is interconnected even before production began is truly rare.” Game director Naoki Hamaguchi adds that (opens in new tab) “development has already entered full production and the team is highly motivated in putting everything together on the project, and working to create a finished game.”
Final Fantasy Remake trilogy
Square Enix announced that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is actually the middle chapter in a larger Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy of games. Here’s a fun little bit of trivia for you, which bears absolutely no standing on how Square Enix may develop this reimagined storyline: When Final Fantasy 7 released in 1997 for PS1, it came packed onto three discs – so that’s some fun symmetry. Anyway, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth producer Yoshinori Kitase had this to say about the decision to make the Remake a trilogy (opens in new tab):
“Making the middle part of a trilogy has its own challenges, but there are plenty of classic second installments in the world of film that are defined by stunning story twists and deeper explorations of their characters. Often these second installments become a favorite amongst the fans. In the same vein, we are aiming to make Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth an even more gripping and memorable experience than Final Fantasy 7 Remake.”
Additionally, Tetsuya Nomura confirmed that (opens in new tab) “some development has already begun on the third title,” with the creative director adding that he has already “started on the development, and am working towards the completion of the series.” Nomura and his teams at Square Enix are working with what he calls an “interconnected’ development structure, which could hopefully mean that we don’t have to wait three years after the release of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth to play the final part of this trilogy.
Square Enix is also hard at work to a new mainline installment to the long-running series. If you’re interested, here’s everything we know so far about Final Fantasy 16.
