Square Enix Plans Changing Future for Final Fantasy 7
Square Enix aims to shape Final Fantasy 7 into a continuously updated IP, a goal a PC Gamer writer finds odd for a franchise already defined by change.
Square Enix wants the Final Fantasy 7 series to become a property with a future that constantly updates. This statement comes from director Naoki Hamaguchi, who expressed the goal during a PAX West panel.
Hamaguchi said via a translator, "We want to make this a work that creates new fans 20 or even 30 years from now." The director described an ambition to move the game "beyond being a classic of the past and shape it into an IP with an changing future."
The writer for PC Gamer finds this aim strangely backwards. The core Final Fantasy franchise is already built on the principle of evolution. Each mainline entry typically introduces a new world, a fresh cast of characters, and different stories, all under the recognizable Final Fantasy brand. The idea of creating an "changing future" for one sub-series within that larger, changing franchise seems paradoxical.
It raises a question. Will there be other constantly updating futures nested inside the main franchise's trajectory? The article likens the concept to a set of changing matryoshka dolls.
The Cost of Nostalgia
This focus on Final Fantasy 7 comes after the release of a full remake trilogy, which the writer acknowledges as "pretty solid RPGs." The first game was enjoyed, and the writer plans to play Rebirth. However, a quiet doubt persists. The piece wonders if Square Enix has fallen into a "fear of new IP" trap, similar to other game companies.
The concern is not a lack of new Final Fantasy games. Final Fantasy 16 launched in 2023 and received a review score of 79 from PC Gamer. The speculative question is what entirely new games might have been created if the resources devoted to the multi-title, years-long remake project had been directed toward original concepts.
Letting Go of the Past
Square Enix appears reluctant to release its grip on the FF7 cast, particularly protagonist Cloud Strife. After three full-length remakes following his story, the writer expresses fatigue at the prospect of more immediate news about the character. The article ends with a plea to let the iconic hero rest.
The piece does not suggest Square Enix will stop making new mainline Final Fantasy games. The observation is specifically about the concentrated effort on expanding one celebrated chapter indefinitely. The stated corporate vision for FF7 as a perpetual IP highlights a tension between mining past successes and forging new futures within a series famous for reinvention.
