Now that we're in the back half of the year, the anticipation is building for Square Enix's second juggernaut for the current fiscal year (third, if you count Forspoken), Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. The development of the game is currently on track, after the game's producer, Yoshinori Kitase, confirmed that the studio is hard at work to nail a release date for the game. But, it appears that Square is building up to an even bigger announcement at the Summer Game Fest on June 8.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to tell that Square has released a "developer comment" every day since June 3, Saturday. After confirming the "high degree of freedom" that the sequel will offer in comparison to the first game, Kazushige Nojima, story and scenario developer, said that it will feature a "chain of narrative developments." Many speculate that this hints at a fast-paced plot progression for Rebirth and a possible insight into how the timeline has changed and the backstories of each party member, all while discovering how their fate may change in the remake as opposed to the original.

The possibility of a great focus on character development, especially for relatively underexplored characters like Vincent Valentine, is also something fans are keen to see.

Now, the importance of releasing a daily "developer comment" comes into play when you consider that Square Enix should release the seventh one on June 8 - the day of Summer Game Fest.

Square Enix doesn't traditionally partake in Geoff Keighley's events, but in the absence of E3 2023, the Japanese publisher might be more open-minded this time around. Not to mention, this could be a part of a larger strategic play. Compared to a PlayStation Showcase, the Summer Game Fest garners attention from gamers beyond its traditional JRPG communities. 

However, this information does leave fans pondering what's coming. With the official release date not yet public outside of the Winter 2023 release window, it's clear Square Enix is keeping details under wraps until they're ready to fully immerse fans into the world of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. But, the recent tease does line up with a major announcement coming at the Summer Game Fest. If this is true, Final Fantasy fans certainly have a lot of reasons to celebrate.

Keep in mind that Final Fantasy 16, which reportedly is struggling with low pre-order sales, is also coming out on June 22.

With both Final Fantasy 16 and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth potentially making an appearance at Summer Game Fest, fans of the long-running JRPG franchise will be eating well. Of course, if Square really wants to make fans happy, it will also confirm the rumors of the Final Fantasy 9 Remake and Final Fantasy Tactics Remastered. Although if that would happen, Summer Game Fest might as well rename itself to Square Enix Presents considering the announcements of such projects will overshadow everything else shown off at the event.

Ultimately, the main concern here is if Square Enix doesn't appear at Summer Game Fest to reveal more about FF7R. In this case, this would be the most elaborate troll job that any video game company has come up with in recent memory.

So, which is which? Is Square Enix just pulling our poor legs, kupo? Or, is Square Enix pulling out all the stops for its golden goose?

We'll find out the answer on June 8 once Geoff Keighley's Summer Game Fest kicks off.