If you were to create a list of the games from the past 20 years and offer them up as having the potential of getting an HD remake, it would be hard to top Final Fantasy VII. While some other notable Sony exclusives have received the HD facelift during the past five years or so, none were of the same status as FFVII.
Though fans have been clamoring for it for the better part of a decade Square Enix's Tetsuya Nomura says that a Final Fantasy VII remake is not coming any time soon. While the prolific character designer acknowledges that the desire to remake the developer's most beloved title in HD is there, he says that new titles still take priority.
That means that previously announced entries in longstanding Square Enix franchises like Final Fantasy Versus 13 and Kingdom Hearts 3D are currently the focus for the developer, but eventually they might get around to Final Fantasy VII. In all honesty, though, Nomura would like to developer to be lauded for current projects rather than dwelling in the past.
No developer, regardless of popularity, wants to be known for a game they released back in 1997, especially when they are still putting out titles today. It's true that the Final Fantasy franchise has waned in recent years — with both Final Fantasy 13 and 14 failing to hit their marks — but that doesn't mean it's time to scrap the franchise altogether.
Perhaps if a Final Fantasy VII HD remake were to come out that would reinvigorate fan interest in the franchise, and build a significant amount of hype for Final Fantasy 15. For better or worse the franchise has evolved away from what made PS1 RPGs great, but that doesn't mean the Final Fantasy property is all bad.
Hopefully in the future Square Enix can find a nice balance between the past and the present that will satisfy all fans and break new ones in as well.
Should Square Enix be focusing on a Final Fantasy VII HD remake or would it be too much of a distraction? Would you rather have a new Kingdom Hearts or a FF VII remake?
Source: Game Jouhou (via Andria Sang)