It’s no secret that Final Fantasy VII is the most requested video game remake in history. Spin-offs have been released, discussions have been plenty, but nothing has been enough to calm the millions of fans who love one of the most well-received titles in history, but simply can’t stand the graphics anymore. Although it seems otherwise, Square Enix is fully aware of the demand, but have no plans to give in.
Square Enix Producer Yoshinori Kitase has the following to say in regards to a FFVII remake:
Graphically they [Final Fantasy games] weren’t as advanced as they are now, but there were lots of towns and worlds and cities and whatever. So if we were to recreate the same kind of game – sequel or not – with the same volume, but give it a much higher level of graphical quality, it would us take three times, four times, even ten times longer to make such a game. So making a sequel for an old game would be a lot more challenging.
Instead of such a potentially industry-shaking title, the RPG kings at Square Enix are interested in quicker rewards, such as the upcoming Final Fantasy XIII-2. As you may have noticed, games have become a lot shorter over the past few years, mostly because of the amount of work required to make a game look visually “modern”. Final Fantasy VII was a gargantuan game that you could easily sink over a hundred hours into and still not see everything it has to offer. Taking an experience like that, along with its massive world, and recreating it with HD visuals is definitely an intimidating project, but if anyone can do it, Square Enix can.
Final Fantasy VII is my favorite game of all-time, and I think at some point Square Enix will give in and develop such a game. Final Fantasy III and Final Fantasy IV have both been recreated for Nintendo’s DS platform, which makes it seem more possible barring the fact that DS hardware isn’t particularly powerful. If anything, Square Enix is waiting for the right moment to make it happen. This includes both a console that has a massive install base, and hardware that can make the remake as captivating as possible. The Final Fantasy VII tech demo shown during the PlayStation 3’s original announcement might give you hope, but if anything the successor to the PS3 has a better shot.
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