For many Final Fantasy fans, the announcement of the Final Fantasy 7 remake at E3 2015 was not only the highlight of the show, but the most anticipated gaming event in recent years. Gamers have been clamouring for an updated edition of the title, which is often named the best in the iconic JRPG series, for many years. Now, the Final Fantasy 7 remake is finally happening, eighteen years after its original PlayStation release.
The reaction to the news was massive - and not only from fans or from those within the gaming community. Square Enix saw its stock take an upwards trajectory, rising 2.9 percent to its highest position since 2008. Meanwhile, Square Enix has also revealed some other news surrounding Final Fantasy 7, including its future plans to port the original game to iOS, alongside its upcoming PS4 port.
There was one question on everyone's lips surrounding the project, however - after so much fan pressure, sustained over several years, why did Square Enix decide to only tackle the project now? Thankfully, Tetsuya Nomura, who was the character designer for the original Final Fantasy 7, has revealed exactly why the publisher waited for this moment. According to Nomura, it's down to the age of the development team itself.
According to Nomura, now was the perfect time for the team to handle the world of Final Fantasy 7 once more - in particular because of the now 'veteran' status of some of the original title's creators. "Of all the staff that worked on the original Final Fantasy 7, and those who are working on the remake, I’m the youngest one," said Nomura, who is 45 years old. Nomura was speaking with 4Gamer, although non-Japanese speaking video game fans can find a translation at SiliconEra.
Timing certainly appeared to work in the development team's favor, however, as Nomura states that the opportunity to work on the much-wanted project came to fruition at just the right time. With Square Enix pushing a focus on PS4 titles, an in-depth remake was greenlit as a title that could make a real mark on the current video game market. "Square Enix now has more PlayStation 4 titles, so we felt that we could increase the console’s popularity, and make an announcement before those games release," said Nomura.
As it stands, the Final Fantasy 7 remake is not going to be a run-of-the-mill upgrade. Already, Square Enix has revealed that the remake is going to have substantial updates to graphics, plot, and gameplay. For now, the publisher is coy about exactly what those changes will be, but gamers will hopefully not have long to wait. With Square Enix stating that more news about the project will be released later this year, perhaps then the ambitions of the Final Fantasy 7 remake will become more apparent.
Source: 4Gamer, SiliconEra