Square Enix made a major change in the development of the Final Fantasy VII Remake that could be both good and bad news for the highly anticipated RPG.
Not much is known regarding the upcoming title, but recent news regarding the Final Fantasy VII Remake have definitely quashed rumors that the game will be released within the year.
Square Enix To Continue 'Final Fantasy VII Remake' Development In-House
For the development of the Final Fantasy VII Remake, Square Enix was working with CyberConnect2. The third-party studio, known for developing various Naruto and .hack titles, was announced as a partner for the project when the Final Fantasy VII Remake was first announced at E3 2015.
However, it seems that Square Enix has dropped the partnership with CyberConnect2 and has decided to continue the development of the game in-house.
The move was announced during a recently held Mobius Final Fantasy stream by Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII main programmer Naoki Hamaguchi, who described the issue as a sensitive subject.
"I've taken over on the development side of the Final Fantasy VII Remake," said Hamaguchi, adding that up until then, there was external collaboration for the game's development. Square Enix decided to shift Final Fantasy VII Remake development in-house because it wanted to control quality while also providing stability to the schedule of the game's progress.
What This Means For 'Final Fantasy VII Remake'
Square Enix's decision to move the development of the Final Fantasy VII Remake in-house is a significant one that spells both good and bad things for the upcoming title.
The good news is that, with CyberConnect2 out of the picture and Square Enix making all the decisions for the Final Fantasy VII Remake, it becomes more plausible that the RPG will live up to the fans' very high expectations. The original Final Fantasy VII is viewed as one of the best RPGs of all time, and Square Enix alone would be capable of reliving the magic of the 1997 title.
However, the decision also comes with the bad news that any work that CyberConnect2 has finished for the Final Fantasy VII Remake may have to be redone by Square Enix. This could mean that the still-unannounced release date for the RPG could get pushed back even further.
'Final Fantasy VII Remake' Release Date?
In a financial results presentation, Square Enix President Yosuke Matsuda revealed that the Final Fantasy VII Remake, along with Kingdom Hearts 3, will be launched "in the next three years or so." The statement dampened the hopes of players that the completion of the game is drawing near, as two screenshots of the game were revealed earlier this year.
A recent report claimed that the Final Fantasy VII Remake development team was urgently looking to hire more talent to join the project. This could be in connection with the dropped partnership with CyberConnect2, as Square Enix will now need as much manpower as it can get to maintain its timetable for the Final Fantasy VII Remake.
Square Enix will likely not announce a specific release date for the Final Fantasy VII Remake any time soon. Fans of the RPG will have no choice but to wait for official details regarding the game while hoping that there will be no further delays.
