Main Facts During a panel at PAX West, Naoki Hamaguchi, the director of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, articulated a long-term vision for the Final Fantasy VII sub-franchise. Hamaguchi revealed that Square Enix intends to transform the 1997 classic into an "ever-evolving" intellectual property (IP) capable of attracting and retaining new fans for the next 20 to 30 years. According to Hamaguchi, the goal is to elevate Final Fantasy VII beyond its status as a historical masterpiece, shaping it into a dynamic, living ecosystem that continues long after the current remake trilogy concludes. This announcement has intensified an ongoing debate within the gaming industry and its consumer base. While the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy—comprising Final Fantasy VII Remake (2020), Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (2024), and an untitled third installment—has garnered critical acclaim and strong sales, it has also highlighted a growing industry-wide trend: a reliance on established legacy IPs at the expense of novel creative ventures. The strategy raises fundamental questions about the allocation of development resources at Square Enix. With hundreds of developers and substantial budgets dedicated to recreating and expanding a single 1997 title for over a decade, critics and fans alike wonder whether this risk-averse approach stifles the creation of entirely new franchises or even the progression of the mainline, anthology-style Final Fantasy series. FINAL FANTASY VII IP TIMELINE 1997 2004–2007 2015 2020 2024 Future │ │ │ │ │ │ ├───► Original ──┼───► Compilation ───┼───► Remake ───┼───► Remake ───┼───► Rebirth ───┴───► Part 3 & Release of FF7 (Spinoffs) Announced Released Released Beyond Chronology The trajectory of Final Fantasy VII from a standalone PlayStation RPG to a multi-generational corporate pillar spans nearly three decades: 1997: Square (now Square Enix) releases Final Fantasy VII on the Sony PlayStation. The game becomes a watershed moment for the industry, popularizing Japanese role-playing games (JRPGs) globally and selling over 14 million copies. 2004–2007: Square Enix launches the "Compilation of Final Fantasy VII," a multimedia metaseries designed to expand the game’s universe. This initiative yields spin-offs across various platforms, including Before Crisis (mobile), Dirge of Cerberus (PlayStation 2), Crisis Core (PlayStation Portable), and the CGI film Advent Children. 2015: Following years of intense fan demand and technical tech-demos, Square Enix officially announces the Final Fantasy VII Remake project at E3, helmed by key members of the original creative team, including Yoshinori Kitase and Tetsuya Nomura. 2020: Final Fantasy VII Remake is released on PlayStation 4. The game alters the original narrative, establishing that the "Remake" subtitle refers to the characters actively rewriting their destiny rather than a simple 1:1 graphical upgrade. 2021–2023: Square Enix expands the universe further into the mobile space with the battle royale Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier (shut down in 2023) and the episodic mobile RPG Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis. 2024 (February): Final Fantasy VII Rebirth launches to critical acclaim, expanding the narrative into a vast open-world structure. 2024 (August): At PAX West, Director Naoki Hamaguchi outlines plans to sustain the Final Fantasy VII brand for another three decades, signaling that the conclusion of the remake trilogy will not mark the end of the IP. Supporting Data The financial and operational realities of modern AAA game development explain Square Enix’s reluctance to abandon the Final Fantasy VII universe. The cost of producing high-end video games has escalated dramatically, with budgets for major titles routinely exceeding $100 million to $200 million, excluding marketing costs. Sales and Market Performance Final Fantasy VII Remake (2020): Shipped and sold over 7 million copies worldwide by late 2023. Its launch was one of the most successful in PlayStation history, providing a stable return on investment (ROI) despite its lengthy development cycle. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (2024): While Square Enix has not disclosed exact sales figures, the game received near-universal critical acclaim, scoring a 92 on Metacritic. However, industry analysts noted that physical launch sales in certain territories were lower than those of its predecessor, partly due to its exclusivity to the smaller install base of the PlayStation 5. Final Fantasy XVI (2023): As a standalone mainline entry featuring a completely new world and cast, Final Fantasy XVI sold over 3 million copies in its first week. Despite this strong start, Square Enix management remarked that the game’s initial sales "did not meet the high end of expectations," illustrating the volatile nature of launching non-established worlds even within a famous franchise. Corporate Strategic Shifts In its May 2024 medium-term business plan, titled “Square Enix’s Reboots and Awakens,” the publisher announced a pivot away from quantity toward quality. The company committed to a multiplatform strategy (releasing games simultaneously on PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo platforms, and PC) to maximize the reach of its major IPs. This corporate restructuring emphasizes the consolidation of development resources around "major AAA franchises," a designation in which Final Fantasy VII remains a central component. Official Responses During the PAX West panel, Naoki Hamaguchi detailed the creative philosophy behind the company’s long-term stewardship of the franchise: "We want to make this a work that creates new fans 20 or even 30 years from now. We want to move beyond being a classic of the past and shape it into an IP with an ever-evolving future." This sentiment aligns with comments from producer Yoshinori Kitase, who has repeatedly stressed the importance of keeping Final Fantasy VII relevant to contemporary audiences. Kitase has noted that the decision to split the remake project into three parts was driven not only by narrative density but also by the desire to treat the project as a premier, multi-year cultural event rather than a nostalgic retrospective. In response to concerns regarding the potential stagnation of the broader Final Fantasy brand, Square Enix executives have maintained that the company’s internal structure allows for parallel development. They point to Creative Business Unit III’s work on Final Fantasy XIV and Final Fantasy XVI as evidence that the company remains committed to exploring new worlds and gameplay styles alongside its nostalgic offerings. Implications The decision to treat Final Fantasy VII as an perpetual, self-sustaining sub-IP carries significant implications for Square Enix, the Final Fantasy franchise, and the wider gaming industry. THE LEGACY IP DILEMMA ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ SQUARE ENIX STRATEGY │ └────────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────┘ │ ┌────────────────┴────────────────┐ ▼ ▼ ┌───────────────────────┐ ┌───────────────────────┐ │ COMMERCIAL SAFETY │ │ CREATIVE FATIGUE │ ├───────────────────────┤ ├───────────────────────┤ │ • Guaranteed audience │ │ • Stifled innovation │ │ • Proven mechanics │ │ • Brand dilution │ │ • High ROI potential │ │ • Resource lock-in │ └───────────────────────┘ └───────────────────────┘ The "Fear of New IP" and Risk Aversion The video game industry is currently experiencing a period of intense consolidation and risk aversion. As development times stretch to five to seven years per title, publishers are increasingly hesitant to fund unproven concepts. By transforming Final Fantasy VII into an ongoing franchise, Square Enix mitigates financial risk. However, this strategy risks creating a self-fulfilling prophecy: by investing disproportionately in established IPs, publishers deny new concepts the resources required to succeed, further reinforcing the narrative that only legacy brands are financially viable. The Dilution of the Anthology Format Historically, the Final Fantasy series has been celebrated for its anthology structure. Each numbered entry introduces a completely new universe, lore, combat system, and cast of characters. This approach allowed the franchise to constantly reinvent itself, transitioning from the high-fantasy settings of the early games to the steampunk aesthetics of Final Fantasy VI, the sci-fi of Final Fantasy VIII, and the dark medieval action of Final Fantasy XVI. By elevating Final Fantasy VII into a permanent, standalone sub-brand, Square Enix risks diluting this core identity. If a single universe is continually expanded through sequels, prequels, and spin-offs, the franchise begins to resemble traditional Western media franchises (such as Marvel or Star Wars), prioritizing continuity and brand familiarity over radical creative reinvention. Developer Allocation and Creative Opportunity The continuation of the Final Fantasy VII universe requires the ongoing commitment of some of Square Enix’s most talented developers, artists, and writers. For over a decade, key figures have been dedicated exclusively to Cloud Strife’s narrative. While this focus ensures a high level of craftsmanship, it prevents these creators from developing new, original projects. The industry is left to wonder what innovative concepts might have emerged had the Remake team been tasked with creating an entirely new intellectual property or a radically different Final Fantasy XVII. Ultimately, Square Enix’s strategy represents a calculated bet. By transforming Final Fantasy VII into an ever-evolving IP, the company secures a reliable source of revenue and keeps a beloved classic alive for future generations. Yet, the challenge remains: to prevent the weight of nostalgia from overshadowing the creative risk-taking that made the game a classic in the first place. Post navigation The Return of Dual GPUs? How a Community Mod Offloads DLSS 5 Neural Rendering to a Secondary Graphics Card
