Square Enix game producer Yoshinori Kitase offers an update on the development progress of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, saying 2016 will be 'a year of preparations.'

Ever since Final Fantasy 7 Remake was announced with its E3 2015 reveal trailer, it has been one of the most talked about games in the industry. A remake that fans have been clamoring for since Square Enix teased the possibility in 2006, it would be great if Square Enix somehow released the game by the end of the year. However, recent comments from Final Fantasy 7 Remake producer Yoshinori Kitase seem to suggest that the game won't be available until 2017 at the earliest.

Speaking with Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu, Kitase had this to say when asked if he had ambitions to launch Final Fantasy 7 Remake in 2016:

"I believe that this year will still be a year of preparations for Final Fantasy 7 Remake. I'd like to create a new kind of value for the hardware that is the PlayStation 4 for our next announcement."

As his comment implies, it seems as though Kitase does not believe that Final Fantasy 7 Remake will launch in 2016. However, the door is still open for the first episode of Final Fantasy 7 Remake to release in 2017. It could even be early 2017, so Square Enix could spread the release of all three episodes planned for Final Fantasy 7 Remake throughout next year.

That being said, Kitase could be underselling how well development is going with Final Fantasy 7 Remake in order to keep fan expectations in check. After all, Final Fantasy 7 Remake is a game that has been a decade in the making, and there is a lot of hype surrounding it. The recent Final Fantasy 7 Remake gameplay trailer made it seem as though a lot of progress has been made on the game since its announcement, so perhaps the first episode could hope to see release by the end of the year.

Of course, it's also possible that Kitase is being forthright in his comments about Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and he honestly doesn't expect the first episode to launch in 2016 at all. This wouldn't be surprising in the least, considering game director Tetsuya Nomura is still busy working on Kingdom Hearts 3. Moreover, with Final Fantasy 15 launching in 2016, it wouldn't make sense for Square Enix to steal its own thunder by releasing Final Fantasy 7 Remake in close proximity.

Whatever the case may be in regards to the development progress of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, hopefully we see more of the game soon. The footage that Square Enix has offered so far has been exciting, and it will be interesting to see more classic characters and locations powered by Unreal Engine 4 in Final Fantasy 7 Remake.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake is currently only confirmed for release on the PlayStation 4.

Source: GameSpot