Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth trailer, gameplay, and news
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth continues the story set out in FF7 Remake. Here’s what we know so far.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is the sequel to 2019’s Final Fantasy 7 Remake. For a while, the game didn’t even have a title, but now we know what it’s called, and that it’s the second game in a trilogy. For now, it’s only launching on PS5.
When Final Fantasy 7 Remake launched back in 2019, many had expected it to be a straight-up remake of the original game. What’s exciting is that by the end of that game, the story had changed drastically when compared to the original’s. This means that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth could go pretty much anywhere in terms of its story.
For now, we’ve only received one trailer for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, but it was certainly an intriguing look at what’s to come. Thanks to some developer comments, we also know a little bit about the story, and the gameplay. Read on for everything we know about Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth so far.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth: cut to the chase
What is it? The sequel to Final Fantasy 7 Remake
When can I play it? “Next winter” (December 2023 – March 2024)
What can I play it on? PS5
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth release date and platforms
(Image credit: Square Enix)
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2, officially called Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, will release “next Winter” for PS5. This generally means the period of December – March, meaning that we could be waiting until 2024. This release window was confirmed during a special Final Fantasy 7 25th Anniversary Celebration stream on June 16, 2022. During the stream, it was also confirmed that Final Fantasy 7 Remake is being released as a trilogy of games, with Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth serving as the second distinct game in the series.
Unfortunately for PS4 owners, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth won’t be a cross-gen release like the first part. We expect, however, that, like Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Rebirth will also arrive on PC at a later date once its PlayStation exclusivity runs out. Though, this hasn’t been confirmed. It’s unlikely to come to Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S, for at least a few years. After all, two years since the release of Remake Part 1, it’s still not arrived on Xbox consoles.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth trailer
Latest trailer
During a special Final Fantasy 7 25th Anniversary Celebration stream on June 16, 2022, Square Enix shared a first-look trailer for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Giving us a brief look at gameplay, this footage offered a fresh look at Cloud Strife, Zack Fair, and Sephiroth. This is currently the only trailer we have so far for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.
You can hear a voiceover from Aerith too, which alludes to key events from the original PS1 game. It’s a very famous moment in Final Fantasy 7 and there’s no guarantee it’ll happen again in Rebirth, but this may prove spoilery for some as a result. Check it out, below:
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth gameplay
(Image credit: Square Enix)
We had our first look at gameplay as part of a trailer that was revealed during a special Final Fantasy 7 25th Anniversary Celebration stream back on June 16, 2022. It’s pretty brief and features Cloud and Sephiroth walking side by side through a forest. At present, no combat has been shown off yet.
Aspects of Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade’s Intermission chapter could feature in Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2, according to the game’s co-director. Speaking with The Washington Post (via VGC) in July 2021, Naoki Hamaguchi said that some of the combat and gameplay enhancements introduced in Intergrade will likely be in Part 2, more specifically, Yuffie and Sonon’s team-up moves from Intermission.
“I am rather satisfied with this final form, in which the strategic element of the command-based battle from the original co-exists with the real-time, action-oriented battle,” he said. “Additionally, with ‘Intermission,’ there’s another element introduced: combo moves where Yuffie and Sonon team up … which makes for a different feel in battle strategy. I would like to leverage these, including other elements we tried out in ‘Intermission,’ in our next story.”
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth story and setting
(Image credit: Square Enix)
In terms of story, we don’t know much about Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. If it were more of a straight-up remake, then it’d be a lot more clear cut in terms of where we’ll be going in the sequel. At the end of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Cloud and the gang had cleared through the Midgar section of the original game. The story fractured at this point, but of we follow the events of the original game, the team will be heading out into the wider world.
According to a blog post in which co-director Motomu Toriyama speaks about Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, the Whispers from the last game aren’t going to be able to keep the timeline in order this time around.
“As it says at the end of the game ‘The Unknown Journey Will Continue’, and Cloud and his friends will be on that journey for a while yet,” co-director Motomu Toriyama says in the final installment of Square Enix’s FF7 Remake blog series (opens in new tab). “From here on in the Whispers cannot act to maintain the destined timeline, so fans can look forward to seeing what kind of future awaits the team.”
In an interview with The Gamer in July 2021, Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2 co-director Naoki Hamaguchi touched on what players might be able to expect from the game in terms of its world-building and map. “I understand that there are lots of fans out there who want to see a world map,” Hamaguchi explained, “and we want to challenge ourselves to leverage the breadth of the world in the next game of the overall project, so you can expect great things to come”.
If Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth follows the events of the original game, then we might just see locations like Kalm, Wutai Village and the Gold Saucer.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth news
(Image credit: Square Enix)
Microsoft states that FF7 Rebirth may not come to Xbox consoles
While we do know that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will only launch on PS5, it was hoped that the game could then head to Xbox. According to comments by Microsoft (via Eurogamer), Sony has “entered into arrangements with third-party publishers which require the ‘exclusion’ of Xbox.” The report then goes on to offer examples of what games Microsoft is talking about, which includes FF7 Remake.
For now, there’s been no confirmation as to whether these ‘exclusion’ agreements are real. It’s worth noting that Final Fantasy 7 Remake still hasn’t come to Xbox platforms, despite having released in April, 2020.
Work on Part 3 has started
In a Tweet (opens in new tab), Nomura also revealed that development on Rebirth has been “progressing rapidly” since the studio adopted a new development structure, meaning that work on Final Fantasy Remake Part 3 has already begun.
“A title of this scale in which everything is interconnected even before production began is truly rare,” Nomura wrote. “In fact, some development has already begun on the third title. I myself have started on the development and am working towards the completion of the series.”
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