Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Director Addresses Player Feedback

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth was one of the most acclaimed releases of 2024, but even highly praised games come with their share of criticism. Director Naoki Hamaguchi recently addressed how Square Enix is responding to community feedback, particularly as development continues on the third and final part of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy.

Hamaguchi explained in an interview with ntower that the development team has received “a lot of feedback” from players following the release of Rebirth. He emphasized that while feedback is highly valuable, the studio remains careful not to alter the core creative vision that defines the trilogy. Instead, feedback will influence aspects like difficulty balancing, minigame design, and smaller details that can still greatly impact the overall experience.

Producer Yoshinori Kitase also pointed out that working on a trilogy provides a unique advantage: the ability to take lessons from each entry and apply them to the next. This means that the final installment has the potential to offer a more refined and polished adventure, shaped not only by the team’s vision but also by the community’s experiences with the previous games.

Despite some critiques, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth holds an impressive 92 average score on OpenCritic, securing its place as one of the standout JRPGs of the decade. However, certain fans expressed concerns about the game’s oversized open world, suggesting that it sometimes distracted from the more focused storytelling that made the original 1997 release so iconic.

Looking forward, Hamaguchi reassured fans that development on the third game is progressing smoothly. In fact, the keyword guiding its story and gameplay direction has already been decided. Developers have noted that much of the content is already in a playable state, with art direction firmly established. Although Square Enix has yet to announce an official release date, a 2027 launch window is widely speculated, given how far along the project reportedly is.

The original Final Fantasy 7 is often considered a landmark JRPG, remembered for its groundbreaking storytelling, unforgettable characters, and genre-defining combat system. With Rebirth successfully modernizing the middle chapter of the saga, fans now look ahead with excitement and cautious optimism to the trilogy’s conclusion—one that promises to blend Square Enix’s creative vision with thoughtful improvements based on player input.