Hamaguchi: It ‘wasn’t easy’ to keep the FF7 Remake trilogy plot intact and not turn it into his ‘own personal fan project’
The director says the real challenge was making sure any changes didn’t affect the game’s identity
Final Fantasy 7 Revelation director Naoki Hamaguchi says it’s been a challenge to make sure that any tweaks made to the remake trilogy’s story don’t stray too much from the original plot.
In an interview with Edge magazine, Hamaguchi was asked about how Revelation will end the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy’s story, and whether it will differ from that of the original PS1 game.
Hamaguchi replied that the entire plot structure had been planned back when development first started on the trilogy, and that while details have been added as each new game was started, it was important to maintain the main story through to the end and not be swayed by response to the first two games.
“We haven’t altered the core of the story based on reactions at any given time,” he explained. “It feels as though we’ve built up each title one by one without wavering from the central theme we established at the very start of the Remake series.”
When asked if the introduction of new characters and plot points – including alternate timelines – made it difficult to end the trilogy in a satisfying way, Hamaguchi conceded that “it wasn’t easy”, but stressed that it was important to make sure it ended appropriately, despite the temptation to change things more.
“I felt it was absolutely essential to avoid turning a masterpiece like Final Fantasy 7 into something that felt like my own personal fan project,” he explained.
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He added that many of the original game’s creators were available throughout the remake trilogy’s development, allowing him to “move the story forward by discussing and confirming details” with them, to make sure they gave their blessing to the overall direction of the trilogy.
Ultimately, Hamaguchi said that the most important thing wasn’t necessarily ensuring that every story beat was hit faithfully, but that the overall package still felt like it shared the same spirit or DNA with the original game.
“The real challenge wasn’t simply incorporating elements that differed from the original or introducing new interpretations,” he added. “It was constantly asking ourselves whether what we were creating could truly be called Final Fantasy 7.”
Final Fantasy 7 Revelation will be released on April 8, 2027, bringing the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy to an end. Unlike the previous two entries, it will also be a multi-format release on day one, and will be available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2 and PC.
