After years of waiting for news about Final Fantasy 7 and its many upcoming sequels and spin-offs, it appears fans may not have to wait much longer. During a livestream for mobile title Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier, Tetsuya Nomura, director of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, reportedly said Square Enix will be celebrating the original game’s 25th anniversary with a number of fresh announcements in June 2022.
‘Next month, we’re planning to publish information related to [7’s] 25th anniversary,’ Nomura said, per RPGSite. ‘I wonder how far I’m allowed to share about it … Next month we will publish various things.’
No further specifics were provided, but the comments have already sparked major speculation across the Final Fantasy community. Earlier in the year, developer Square Enix promised news of the highly-anticipated Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2 would land in 2022. Relatedly, the company reported major gaming plans in its FY23 financial reports, and indicated the year would be dominated by a major franchise.
While it seems unlikely that Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2 will be ready for an FY23 release, given the immense development work required to continue the story of Cloud and his pals, Square Enix’s secrecy over the last few years could indicate development is progressing steadily, potentially to the point where the game is ready to show off.
That said, there was an enormous five year gap between the first trailer for Final Fantasy 7 Remake and its actual launch, so even if we do see something of its sequel shortly, we can’t expect a release so soon.
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In any case, it looks like Square Enix has big plans for the game, and for the entire Final Fantasy franchise, over the next twelve months.
The First Soldier, a mobile spin-off where players embody SOLDIER candidates, is reportedly going strong. In addition, the company is also ramping up for the launch of Ever Crisis, a mobile retelling of the entire Final Fantasy 7 story, which is currently set to launch in 2022.
Should any upcoming project be dated, it will more likely be Ever Crisis than Remake Part 2, but it’s always good to hold on to hope.
Whatever is announced, June should be a significant month for the franchise. With Nomura promising ‘various things’, we can only speculate as to what’s on the way. A trailer for Remake Part 2 would certainly be warmly received, although it’s always best to temper expectations. The teaser from Nomura has generated much hope, but we’ll have to wait to see what’s actually in store.
