Final Fantasy’s original creator reveals why FFVII was released on PlayStation and not Nintendo 64 

Twenty-six years ago, Final Fantasy VII was released on PlayStation 1 and would become a great critical and commercial success for Sony’s first console. In a recent interview on JWave radio, Hironobu Sakaguchi revealed why FFVII was never released on the Nintendo 64. Although some of the reasons behind this are known to fans of the series, Sakaguchi offers a more detailed explanation of exactly why Cloud and co. didn’t make it onto a Nintendo console in the 90s. 

Released in 1997, Final Fantasy VII was the first title in the Japanese RPG series to be released on Sony’s PlayStation 1, with a subsequent PC port coming out the following year. Before that, Final Fantasy games had been released on Nintendo consoles, so many at the time assumed that FFVII would also appear on Nintendo’s latest console, the Nintendo 64. Hironobu Sakaguchi, who established the Final Fantasy series and was the producer for Final Fantasy VII, gave two major reasons why FFVII was developed with the PlayStation in mind. 

Sakaguchi explains that their choice was between the PlayStation’s CD-ROM format and the N64’s cartridges. He clarifies that it wasn’t a case of “Nintendo or Sony,” but rather that they would only be able to make the game with the graphics that they envisioned if it was on CD-ROM. The greater storage space offered by the CD-ROM format would make it possible to bring FFVII’s 3D characters and FMV cutscenes to life.  

Another key factor was the cost. Previous titles in the Final Fantasy series were released on cartridges, but these became more expensive with each Nintendo console. Sakaguchi explained that if they used cartridges, the retail price of FFVII would have exceeded 10,000 yen (around $60 USD today). In fact, the previous game FFVI, which had been released on the SNES, had a retail price of 11,400 yen (excluding tax). “This (cost) was impossible,” explained Sakaguchi, “So from 7 onwards we went with CD-ROMs.” When FFVII came out on 3 discs, it retailed for 6800 yen in Japan. 

Final Fantasy VII would become a big draw for buying a PlayStation 1 and was one of the console’s top selling games. Its engaging story and varied cast of characters have made it one of the most popular games in the Final Fantasy series. Final Fantasy VII fans are eagerly awaiting the second part of the Final Fantasy VII remake trilogy, FFVII Rebirth, that will be released on PS5 on February 29. You can read our interviews with the developers to find out more about how they will be adapting the next part of the beloved original’s story to modern hardware and gameplay styles (Tetsuya Nomura interview, Yoshinori Kitase and Naoki Hamaguchi interview).  

Aside from the PlayStation 1 or PC discs, a remaster of the original Final Fantasy VII is currently playable on PS4, PC (Steam), Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.