Mainline Final Fantasy entries have taken a bit of a backseat in lieu of the FF7 remake trilogy, but that should be changing soon.
The trilogy’s producer Yoshinori Kitase teased the franchise’s future in a new interview, but I also wouldn’t hold my breath for Final Fantasy 17 launching any time soon after FF7 Revelation drops this April.
“I think that mainly we are more likely to invest in new titles and new games, but at the same time, for example, this time with the [FF7] remake, there was me and other creators who worked on the original game, which we had really strong feelings towards,” Kitase said when asked about new IP and remakes in the interview with IGN. “And we really wanted to create something new related to the old game to allow new users to play and to know the appeal of this game as much as the old users who play the old game. So there might be different cases like this one where the company is willing to invest in remaking old projects and other kinds of games like it happened this time.”
That’s…not really a definitive answer either way regarding remakes vs. new entries vs. new IP at Square, which is notoriously busy with multiple RPG releases year in and out across its numerous dev teams. For example, this year alone, the company has released Final Fantasy Resonance, The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales, Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster, and a few others.
Kitase’s words are iffy no matter how you look at it, but mainline FF entries have generally slowed down quite a bit. FF16 launched in 2023, but FF15 released way back in 2016. Meanwhile, FF7 trilogy games have come out in 2020, 2024, and next year again in 2027.
I’m generally a very big fan of the remake trilogy, and FF7 Revelation is one of my most anticipated titles of 2027, but I have a hard time imagining the company going on to remake another game… although I would not be against it, for several classic titles (6, 8, 9, or 10, please). Additionally, this year, FF Resonance has shown a true thirst and appreciation for classic turn-based games on top of the action-combat focus of recent titles, so I’ll be heavily tuned in to see what direction the series goes next.
Check out the full IGN interview for more from Kitase, including his thoughts on Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 being heavily inspired by Final Fantasy classics.
