Final Fantasy VII Remake was noticeably absent from E3 2018, even with Square Enix hosting its own briefing presentation. Instead, we saw the same Kingdom Hearts III trailer multiple times, although a different one showed during the PlayStation Showcase. Between that and earlier reports of the project more or less starting over, things seemed bad for this long-awaited game. But recent comments form director Tetsuya Nomura suggest things are back on track.
Speaking to the Verge, Nomura had a lot of positive spin for the AAA situation at Square Enix in Japan. For example, while Kingdom Hearts III isn’t making 2018 as originally planned, it’s not because the game needs the extra time, but because the game was moved for marketing and planning reasons. Reading between the lines, it’s likely because the tail end of 2018 is looking pretty bad for anyone who isn’t Nintendo or Rockstar.
He also said work has gone back and forth between Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts, but now that the workload is going down to one game, things are looking up. He also clarified the two games have been in parallel development, and that Final Fantasy VII Remake is beyond the conceptual stages, and is “actually in development.”
So, this may very well be spin from a company that has a history of tumultuous development. Or, it could be in earnest, and this is all the result of a director having two enormous projects on his plate at the same time. But one is just about out of the oven, and that should have a positive impact on the other.
[Source: The Verge]
