Final Fantasy 7 Revelation director says his next game won’t be a remake, but could be a ‘grand-scale’ RPG
Naoki Hamaguchi wants a new challenge, “whether it be Final Fantasy or a different IP”
Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy director Naoki Hamaguchi has shared his thoughts on what he’d like to work on next.
The third and final entry in the trilogy, Final Fantasy 7 Revelation, will be released in Spring 2027, and – rather than a timed PlayStation console exclusive like the first two games – will be available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2 and PC on the same day.
Its release will mark the end of a 12-year project – the first chapter was announced back at E3 2015 – meaning for the first time in more than a decade, Hamaguchi will soon be turning his attention to another project.
In an interview with Game Informer, Hamaguchi said he’d heard some players wanted him to remake Final Fantasy 6 next, but stated that in the event that would happen – which a PR stressed to the publication was purely hypothetical – he’d rather see someone else working on that.
“Right in this moment, I’m fully focused on completing Final Fantasy 7 Revelation and ensuring we’re delivering the Final Fantasy 7 Remake series in a perfect state, so that’s where I’m right now,” he replied.
“At the same time, I do see a lot of fans and community asking me to take on the helm for a Final Fantasy 6 remake,” he laughed. “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.”
Instead, Hamaguchi suggested he wanted to take on a new large-scale RPG, but didn’t specify whether this would be a new Final Fantasy game or a different series entirely.
“When you look at all the other titles that we have released at Square Enix, not just the Final Fantasy 7 Remake series, I think Square Enix, as a brand, as a company, is more than capable of delivering this grand-scale RPG that could resonate to gamers across the world,” he explained.
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“Fans might have a lot of different expectations, but for me personally, I do want to take on this new challenge with another RPG title after this, whether it be Final Fantasy or a different IP. Again, we don’t know. But personally, if it’s not Final Fantasy, that’s also exciting, because that could be a challenge for me. So, whatever it is, I hope fans look forward to it.”
Players who feel this could still be opening the door to a different remake project should note that Hamaguchi also specifically told Bloomberg that his next project is “not going to be a remake,” adding: “As a team, I do think there’s an opportunity to work on a smaller scale, like a AA title, or a new Final Fantasy title or even a new AAA franchise. I think all those would be good.”
Last week Hamaguchi revealed that he’s already played through Final Fantasy 7 Revelation “about 40 times”, and that one scene involving Cloud made him cry every time.
