For years, fans clamored for a modernized remake of Final Fantasy VII, which was at last announced in 2015. Now that the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy is finally set to conclude in 2027 with Final Fantasy VII Revelation, the fan community has begun looking at what other classic entries in the legendary RPG series could be the next to receive the remake treatment. While it has already received the Pixel Remaster treatment, Final Fantasy VI has emerged as the most-wanted candidate. However, over the last month and a half, two prominent Final Fantasy directors have spoken on the topic of a hypothetical Final Fantasy VI Remake, and they don’t sound particularly enthused about taking it on.
Naoki Hamaguchi has spent more than the last decade of his life directing the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy, which immediately put him at the top of the list in the minds of many fans. However, when I asked the director what he thinks is next for him and his career following the launch of Final Fantasy VII Revelation in 2027, he, unprompted, seemed to shoot down the notion that he’d take the reins on a remake of Final Fantasy VII’s beloved predecessor.
“Right in this moment, I’m fully focused on completing FFVII Revelation and ensuring we’re delivering the FFVII Remake series in a perfect state, so that’s where I’m right now,” Hamaguchi told me in June. “At the same time, I do see a lot of fans and community asking me to take on the helm for a [hypothetical] FFVI remake. [laughs] So, I’m seeing a lot of that floating online, but, you know, a Final Fantasy VI Remake or any other remake, it could be me, or it could be someone else. Personally, I think that it might be in better hands if it went to another creator in Square Enix.”
During that same weekend, Bloomberg asked Hamaguchi a similar question about his next project, to which he replied, “It’s not going to be a remake! As a team, I do think there’s an opportunity to work on a smaller scale, like a double-A title, or a new Final Fantasy title or even a new triple-A franchise. I think all those would be good.”
Then, this past weekend at Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival in Berlin, Germany, Hamaguchi was in conversation with Final Fantasy XIV director and Final Fantasy XVI producer Naoki Yoshida. Hamaguchi commented that Final Fantasy VI was the most influential game for him and the reason he wanted to work in games. “Every time I give that answer to a journalist or someone, the next day, there’s an article online saying, ‘Hamaguchi will be remaking Final Fantasy VI. So I also say, ‘No, I am not’ at the same time,’ Hamaguchi told the crowd with a laugh.
Yoshida also chimed in on that topic, claiming that a Final Fantasy VI Remake project would take an immense amount of work, and could end up being even more entries than the drawn-out Final Fantasy VII Remake series. “Of course, I understand the feelings of the players, but you’ve got to think about it,” he said on stage. “Look at Final Fantasy VI; it’s such an incredibly huge game. The scale is just immense, and the same applies for other titles like Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy IX. So of course now, since you’re working on the Final Fantasy VII Remake series, I do get that people would be asking for remakes of other titles, but if we did remake those other titles, we’d probably end up having to release them in four installments, or maybe even five installments.”
While neither explicitly came out and said Final Fantasy VI Remake isn’t happening, it does sound as though neither of the series’ most prominent current directors are overly enthusiastic about taking it on. However, as longtime Final Fantasy director and producer Yoshinori Kitase told me in 2023, the notion of Final Fantasy VII Remake was borne out of the Final Fantasy XIII U.S. media tour, when interviewers continually asked him about the existence of such a project. Once that idea was planted, he returned to Japan to discuss it with fellow Final Fantasy luminary Tetsuya Nomura.
During that interview, Nomura also opened up about how motivated he and Kitase felt about taking charge with Final Fantasy VII Remake, as well as the current remake culture within Square Enix. “Within Square Enix, gradually, remakes were being made, and these ideas for remakes were coming up in other departments,” Nomura told me. “If we weren’t going to do Final Fantasy VII, others were going to do it, so we had to rise up and do it! We had the sense that we had to guard Final Fantasy VII and have to be the ones taking this on, or someone else is going to do it. I thought it may be a bit troublesome is other teams without us took on the project.”
Just like Final Fantasy VII, Kitase directed Final Fantasy VI, with Nomura working on the art of the classic RPG. Though Hamaguchi and Yoshida sound hesitant to take on the project, perhaps that same tenacity that Kitase and Nomura felt about Final Fantasy VII Remake, which resulted in the project getting made, could serve as a source of hope for those looking for a remake of Final Fantasy VI. Until such a day comes, Final Fantasy VII Revelation, the long-awaited conclusion to the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy, is set to arrive in 2027 across all major modern platforms simultaneously.
[via videogameschronicle]