Square Enix announced Final Fantasy VII Revelation, the third and final installment in the FFVII Remake series, on June 6. The game is set to release for PC (Steam, Epic Games Store, XBOX on PC), Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5 and XBOX Series X|S, with the launch date scheduled for spring 2027.
Recently, AUTOMATON got the opportunity to catch up with director Naoki Hamaguchi, who talked to us at lenght about his opinion on streaming culture and touched on some rumors recently circulating about the series’ grand finale. We also got to hear about a possible DLC and what players can expect from the future of the franchise.
We need to embrace the impending crisis, and take responsibility as creators
—Right after the grand reveal of Final Fantasy VII Revelation at SUMMER GAME FEST 2026, you met up with Maximilian Dood at his house for an interview. How did that happen?
Naoki Hamaguchi (hereafter, Hamaguchi):
He is a fan of FFVII, and he’s attended all of the media and influencer hands-on events for FFVII Remake and Rebirth so far, which is how we got to connect. When he saw the announcement, he immediately reached out to me, and that’s how the opportunity for the interview came about.
—That’s quite surprising!
Hamaguchi:
Thanks to him, it ended up becoming a hot topic in Noth America. They were like, it’s so funny witnessing Hamaguchi in Maximilian Dood’s room, the same room we see every time we watch his videos. I’m really amazed by how much influence he has.
—On the flip side, I imagine there are also streamers who might have felt a bit jealous or sad about not getting the same opportunity.
Hamaguchi:
We have no plans to exclusively work with just one influencer and call them “our only official partner influencer.” I’m sure that the influencer wouldn’t want that either. Rather, I’d be personally very happy to maintain good relationships with many different people over the long term. So, if the chance arises, we might collaborate with those streamers in the future.
—Speaking of influencers, in a recent interview with 4Gamer, you said: “With RPGs like Final Fantasy, we need to be wary of the possibility that players might be satisfied just by watching live playthroughs. I’m not trying to be dismissive of playthroughs, I’m saying that we need to take that as a challenge and incorporate game elements that would motivate players to actually play the game themselves.” That was quite an interesting comment, and it led to a lot of discourse about “the good and bad sides” of streaming games.
Hamaguchi:
Yeah, things got quite heated (laughs).
—It kind of felt like the topic eventually took a life of its own. I’m sure that you’ve already said what you intended to say in the 4Gamer interview, but could you please clarify it once again in case there were any misunderstandings due to the language barrier?
Hamaguchi:
Personally, I don’t view the fact that my comment became a subject of debate as a negative thing. In fact, I saw it as a healthy discussion. As a creator, I sometimes get the impression that streaming culture doesn’t mix that well with narrative-driven works, especially the kind of RPGs we create.
That being said, I’m not trying to say that RPGs and JRPGs will decline simply because people could get satisfied just by watching livestreams. This applies to everything in the world, and is not specifically limited to just entertainment, but I believe that when the environment changes, the things that survive should also change and adapt to it. In that sense, it’s important to change and adapt to suit the current era, while also holding on to your original appeal. In other words, even if the environment changes, we should be able to adapt to the times while maintaining our fanbase.
Even when it comes to RPGs, simply trying to copy past conventions isn’t enough. That’s why I felt that, as creators, we must keep on taking new challenges to preserve our fanbase and ensure that RPGs will keep being a genre that’s supported for the next twenty to thirty years, and even well beyond that.
—So, it was a word of caution to yourself as a creator, or perhaps an impending sense of crisis.
Hamaguchi:
That’s right. As creators, we need to embrace that sense of crisis, take responsibility for what we do, and create our works with care. FFVII Revelation is not a definite answer to all of those issues, nor are we fully satisfied with it yet. However, looking at FFVII Revelation as a single experience, we’ve incorporated a lot of side content where elements ranging from the narrative to strategies will change based on players’ choices. Even if they’re watching a livestream, we wanted to attempt things that would make players think “Oh, if it was me, I’d like to do that differently.” That’s the kind of sentiment I was trying to convey.
—Since the side quests in FFVII Revelation will have branching outcomes based on player choices, I understand it’s an attempt to reconcile streaming culture and the user experience – by creating an experience that will change deepening on the player.
Hamaguchi:
Exactly. To begin with, the concept for FFVII Revelation is that it’s the final installment in the trilogy. So, we wanted each of the characters to have their own beliefs, resolve, and feelings as they head towards the story’s conclusion. On top of that, we felt it would be better if that emotional journey were different for each player. Kind of like, “I want my Vincent to take on this challenge with this kind of mindset,” or “I want my Cloud to take on this challenge with that kind of mindset.” We want each player to experience those feelings in their own way.
Being a game with so many famous, iconic characters, each of whom players have different levels of emotional attachment to, it felt that homogenizing players’ feelings towards the characters wouldn’t make for a compelling gaming experience. So, we aimed for a game design where players’ choices within the game would effectively align with those feelings.
An overarching Final Fantasy VII universe
—In many of your previous interviews, when asked about the game’s ending, you’ve replied with something along the lines of “I want it to make players feel it was worth playing through the whole series.” This made some users theorize that the FFVII trilogy will conclude with a happy ending. Would that be an accurate interpretation?
Hamaguchi:
I’ve been giving the same answer each time I’m asked about the ending, but since people only focus on the things they want to hear, the actual truth rarely gets across… (laughs)
To clarify once again: I have never told any media outlet about what kind of ending FFVII Revelation will have.
It’s been 30 years since the original Final Fantasy VII, and 10 years since we began developing the Remake series. Many fans have stuck with us for a really long time, and we’ve got enormous support from the development team as well. Amidst all that, I’ve walked alongside the FFVII Remake franchise, and I’m doing my best to deliver a game that will make people glad they were involved with it. And while I said that I’m confident we’ll be able to achieve that, I’ve never actually revealed how the ending will turn out.
—So, you’re choosing to stay silent about the ending?
Hamaguchi:
It’s more that I don’t want people to focus just on the ending. I’m aiming to create a game that will make people feel “I’m glad they made the Remake series” or “I’m glad I was able to see the FFVII Remake series through to the end” when they look back on the whole trilogy.
The ending might be fully faithful to the original, or it might end up being something completely different. Or perhaps, it might go in a direction no one could have imagined in the first place. I’d like everyone to experience it for themselves.
—Let me ask you about another rumor. In a past interview about Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, you mentioned that the definitive ending of the FFVII series could possibly lead into FFVII AC. So, fans are now speculating that we might be getting the same ending as the original game.
Hamaguchi:
I remember producer Kitase and I said something along those lines in an interview way back, but since that interview was translated, there is a possibility that the exact nuance didn’t get across. On the other hand, as the developers, we aren’t denying the possibility of the FFVII AC ending.
The concept of the FFVII Remake series is that we’re creating a new overarching universe that encompasses the lore of the many various spin-offs we’ve created so far – not just FFVII AC, but also Dirge of Cerberus and Crisis Core. So, we’re not denying the possibility of the ending tying into FFVII AC, but rather, we’re saying that FFVII AC has just been incorporated into the overarching FFVII remake series, including the ending. However, I won’t comment on whether the ending is positioned to lead into it.
—So, you’re saying that it was incorporated into the broader framework of the overarching universe.
Hamaguchi:
Yes. The correct nuance is that we’re not denying the canonicity of the endings of any of the titles in the FFVII universe, and that they’ve all been incorporated into the Remake series as we explore what kind of conclusion the new series itself will reach. So, it wouldn’t be quite accurate to say that “the development team explicitly stated that the FFVII Remake series conclusion is connected to FFVII AC.”
—These kinds of theories usually lead fans to speculate about possible DLC. Will you be considering any DLC for the game?
Hamaguchi:
I feel that, at this point, both the media and the fan community are expecting a DLC to come. Plus, I sense immense expectations for the FFVII franchise, or rather, it feels like fans don’t want it to end yet.
That being said, things haven’t crystallized yet, so we can’t certainly say “Okay, we’re going to make DLC for FFVII Revelation.” However, if we get the support from fans, and if there’s genuine demand for it, I think we’d want to consider it.
—And now that we’re talking about the possibility of a DLC…I apologize for the mean question, but I do wonder if the main game is going to end on a cliffhanger, with the story concluding in a DLC.
Hamaguchi:
The story will be concluded within the main game. We’re serious about concluding the series with FFVII Revelation, and we’re proceeding with development with that goal in mind.
If we were to hypothetically release any DLC, we would likely want to create a kind of spin-off focused on a specific character that depicts their untold stories, kind of like what we did with Yuffie with FF7R EPISODE INTERmission, and I think there is demand for it among fans. So, in case we do end up considering making a DLC, this is the kind of thing that we’d likely attempt to do.
Moving towards the future of FFVII together with fans
—Recently, it was announced that Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis would be shutting down. As a fan, I am a bit worried that the FFVII franchise might truly come to an end with the release of FFVII Revelation. What are your thoughts on that?
Hamaguchi:
Right now, we’re focused on finishing the development of FFVII Revelation, but we haven’t thought about what will happen after. However, once the game is out, we’ll be observing everyone’s reactions and reviews. So, if there is a significant demand, and if we, as creators, are able to come up with a fresh and compelling answer to that, we might consider doing something else down the line.
On the other hand, thinking too far ahead is definitely not a good thing for FFVII Revelation, so we’re solely focused on finishing up its development for the time being. I believe that FFVII Revelation will shape up to be a better game if we don’t let ourselves think about other stuff. So, after the series comes to its conclusion, I hope that both we, the creators, and the fans, can move towards the future together, while thinking about what comes next.
—Lastly, could you tell us about the current development status, and your plans moving forward?
Hamaguchi:
We’ll be steadily unveiling new information, targeting a specific timeframe. We’re also preparing a way for players and the media to try out the game at various events. I think you can probably imagine which events I’m talking about, so expect a bunch of new information from us there. And from that point on, we’ll be unveiling new info pretty much without stopping, so please look forward to that.
—I can’t wait to try out the hands-on demo! Thank you so much for your time!
Final Fantasy VII Revelation is set to release in the Spring of 2027 for PC (Steam, Epic Games Store, XBOX on PC), Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5 and XBOX Series X|S, with a release scheduled for spring 2027.
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