With Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth coming out on February 29, fans are already looking forward to what comes after: the finale of the ongoing Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy project.
While Square Enix remains tight-lipped on a release date, many factors, including its director, suggest that the third entry could land on both PlayStation 5 and its eventual successor, PlayStation 6.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi suggested in an interview with YouTuber Julien Chièze that the threequel will feature a four-year development cycle, similar to the first two games. This aligns with previous comments made by creative director Tetsuya Nomura that “some development” already began on the third title.
If following a similar pace for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, which had a four-year gap between it and Final Fantasy 7 Remake, this means the final part could arrive in 2028. However, considering the expanded overworld in Rebirth, the third entry might require less time due to potential asset reuse.
In the original Final Fantasy 7, the bulk of the story takes place in the first disc. By the time that you get to the second and third discs, it’s a mad sprint toward the climactic battle against Sephiroth.
The third game could be reminiscent of that final part of Final Fantasy 15 where the players already know most of the story and all that’s left is to fight Ardyn so Noctis can make the ultimate sacrifice, albeit we’re pretty sure the developers will find a way to make the story still make sense for newcomers while fleshing things out to make it another potentially three-disc title.
While most wouldn’t mind seeing the third Final Fantasy 7 remake title in 2028, it feels like a missed opportunity not to do it in 2027. The 30th anniversary of the original Final Fantasy 7 presents a compelling marketing opportunity for Square Enix. Releasing the concluding chapter that year would cap off the trilogy with significant impact.
Now, for the question, why would the next Final Fantasy 7 game be on PS5 and PS6?
Considering Square Enix’s dual AAA yearly release pipeline that started with Forspoken last year, the finale could launch in early 2027, concluding the story. However, similar to FF7 Remake, Square Enix could re-release the game for Sony’s next flagship console with several improvements to graphics and gameplay along with new content. In between, we could see the release of other AAA titles like the next mainline Final Fantasy game or a new expansion for Final Fantasy 14, among others.
This would be a win-win situation for everyone involved. For fans, the FF7 Remake Trilogy will end in 2027, just in time for the OG title’s 30th anniversary. But an INTERGRADE-like re-release on PS6 could let Square Enix tie up loose narrative ends.
Of course, the elephant in the room is that, financially, a multi-generation launch is the best route for Square Enix.
Whether or not this will be what happens remains to be seen. For now, fans can look forward to the release of the second FF7 Rebirth demo and for the review embargo to lift this week.
