As revealed at the recent FF7 anniversary celebration, the sequel to 2020’s award-winning JRPG, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, will come out during winter 2023 for the PlayStation 5, and will be the middle half of a planned three-part series. According to creative director, Tetsuya Nomura, Rebirth’s development has progressed at a rapid pace the company “adopted a new development structure,” revealing that it is already working on the third game as we speak. Meanwhile, the game’s producer, Yoshinori Kitase, gave the middle installment a vote of confidence, saying that Square Enix is “aiming to make Final Fantasy VII Rebirth an even more gripping and memorable experience than Final Fantasy VII Remake.” The official reveal trailer for Rebirth picks up following the events of the first game after it left the game’s characters, as well as gamers, questioning what fate means and how all has changed. We also get a glimpse of Zack in the trailer after the end credits of the first game teased an alternate timeline where he survives the ambush at the hands of the SHINRA army. The trilogy reveal wasn’t a surprise among fans. The original Final Fantasy VII was split into three discs and after the first game barely covered a third of the original 1997 title, the rest of the game would have been too much ground to cover for the sequel. Not to mention, FF7R took some liberties with the game’s story, much to the excitement of fans. If Rebirth follows the same direction, the trilogy needs another game’s worth of content to fully close the chapter on what many consider the best Final Fantasy game. Having said that, it is interesting that Square Enix is releasing both Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Final Fantasy 16 in the same year. The skeptic in us is screaming a potential delay, but we wouldn’t be surprised if Square Enix pushes through with two big Final Fantasy releases within the same fiscal year. If nothing else, it would help make up for not releasing a new mainline installment as the franchise celebrates its 35th birthday later this year. In the meantime, Final Fantasy fans can keep themselves busy by exploring Zack Fair’s life and death in Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII - Reunion in December.
