Final Fantasy VII Remake’s Next Chapter is Now in Full Development

It’s been out for almost five months now and I’m still in a mild state of shock that Final Fantasy VII Remake finally exists. I played it. I finished it. I (mostly) loved it. But I can’t entirely wrap my head around the fact that it’s no longer a tired meme about a game that won’t come out until we’re all as old as Jenova herself. Yet here we are, with Midgar in our rearview mirror, bracing for a story that is now destined to delve into the great unknown.

For now, we’ll need to content ourselves with occasional updates from key staff. That’s where this week’s copy of Famitsu comes in — the long-running Japanese magazine had a chance to sit down for a brief chat with several familiar faces, including Tetsuya Nomura and Yoshinori Kitase.

The most salient part of the interview came when Nomura was asked when we can expect to be playing the ongoing project’s second chapter. It should come as no great bombshell that the famous director was purposefully evasive on the specifics, but he did at least confirm that the sequel is now in full development:

“We know that everyone wants the next installment quickly. We would also like to deliver it as soon as possible. Since we were also able to see the line of quality from the first installment, we hope to make the next installment even better in quality that can make for an even better experience. We would like to get it out as soon as possible, so please wait for it. I think we can clearly convey the direction when we officially announce the next installment.”

I suppose he’s right; Part 2 (or whatever it will be called) hasn’t even been formally announced. Still, while “full development” can sometimes be a somewhat vague phrase, it’s good to know that the project is past the preliminary stages. Generally speaking, it is around this point in game-making that core ideas are firmly in place, concept art and an overall vision are locked in, and teams expand as necessary in order to hunker down and bring it all together. This process can take years, and Square Enix are no strangers to taking their time, but at least we’re anchors aweigh. It’s worth noting that FFVII Remake‘s first installment was in pre-production for a notoriously long time before its team reached this stage.

Also discussed during the Famitsu interview was the character of Roche, a SOLDIER whom Cloud encounters relatively early into the game. Some players loved him; others felt he was a bit superfluous. The latter mentality was boosted by the fact that he never shows up again after his debut chapter. As it turns out, the writers’ original idea was to have him reappear in the fourteenth chapter — right before the end. Without getting into spoilers for those who have yet to experience Remake for themselves, I can note here that this would have been the most opportune time for Roche to show his stuff. As it happens, co-director Motomu Toriyama told Famitsu that there’s a high chance of him popping up again in Part 2. While this already felt somewhat likely, it’s still nice to have some confirmation.

Find out why my fellow writer, Alana Hagues, said that Final Fantasy VII Remake “just about makes it to First Class” in RPGFan’s official review.