Ich möchte auch darauf hinweisen, dass er sein Logo (?) als Kette trägt. Schluck.

https://www.ntower.de/bericht/1571-final-fantasy-vii-rebirth-our-interview-with-naoki-hamaguchi-on-the-nintendo-swi/

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: Our interview with Naoki Hamaguchi on the Nintendo Switch 2 Port and exciting details about the trilogy’s finale InterviewGeschrieben von Flokaaki | Atha am 05.05.2026

ntower: At what point during development was the decision actually made that the story would be told as a trilogy? Final Fantasy VII Remake ultimately ended with the dramatic escape from Midgar, which made up just a fraction of the overall story of the original game and only took a few hours to complete. How much of the new story expansions actually stem from old ideas from the past, and what did the general thought process for expanding the story look like?

Naoki Hamaguchi: By the time I was entrusted with overall leadership of this project, the broad concept of a trilogy had already been firmly established. It wasn't so much about “wanting” to make it a trilogy—the accurate assessment is that, upon objectively evaluating the sheer volume of the story and the content that needed to be depicted, no option other than a trilogy was realistic. The Midgar segment of FINAL FANTASY VII is a relatively short part of the original game, but it is incredibly dense with information regarding the game’s world, characters, and story. It became clear early on that if we were to faithfully recreate this using modern techniques, we would need a substantial amount of content just to make it work as a standalone title. Regarding the expansion of the story, while we used the plot Nojima-san had initially outlined as a basis, we had many discussions about “how much to depict” and “where to place the narrative breaks.” One moment that particularly stands out to me is when we were discussing the structure of the second installment. In the original plan, the story didn’t clearly break at the forgotten capital and Aerith’s fate. At that time, I suggested to producer Kitase-san, “Considering the narrative focus, wouldn’t it be better to treat Aerith’s fate as a natural break to this section?” I recall that, at almost the exact same timing, I heard Nomura-san express a nearly identical idea, and from there, the overall framework for the entire trilogy came together very smoothly.

ntower: The game on the Nintendo Switch 2 also includes the Episode INTERmission and shows through Yuffie Kisaragi that the Shinra Corporation is facing massive resistance. In the original, Yuffie is rather optional in nature. How are such decisions made to dedicate separate extra content to a character like Yuffie and to fundamentally change her first encounter with the party compared to the original?

Naoki Hamaguchi: With recent AAA titles, it’s not uncommon for development to take four years or more to complete a single game. Given that development timeline, we felt it was appropriate to design the DLC for INTERGRADE not merely as additional content, but as an experience that bridges the gap between REMAKE and REBIRTH. In Episode INTERmission, while using the same setting of Midgar, we depict a different form of resistance against Shinra from Yuffie’s perspective. Our aim was to show what was happening behind the scenes while allowing players to experience firsthand how the scale of the story is expanding. In REBIRTH, characters like Yuffie and Vincent, who were optional in the original game, will be firmly integrated into the main story. As a prelude to that, we wanted to create an experience that portrays Yuffie not merely as a side character, but as a protagonist in her own right. We chose the DLC format so that players could accept these changes naturally and come to expect that “in the next title, the dynamics between the characters will shift to a whole new level.”

ntower: What internal decision actually contributed to completely forgoing a story DLC for this second part? Can we hope for new DLCs, perhaps even waiting until the trilogy's concluding title?

Naoki Hamaguchi: When it came to FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH, we seriously considered the possibility of developing a story DLC right up until immediately before the project officially moved into the planning phase. However, within the context of a long-term trilogy, we concluded that running development of the second installment’s DLC in parallel with the third installment would inevitably affect the third game’s schedule and overall quality. At that point, I believed my primary role was not to add DLC, but to deliver the third entry to fans as quickly as possible at a level of polish they would find satisfying. For that reason, we decided to forgo story DLC for REBIRTH. As for DLC beyond the third installment, I believe that will ultimately depend on how strongly fans continue to support FINAL FANTASY VII as both a title and a franchise. If there is significant demand, we’d certainly be open to exploring those possibilities proactively.

ntower: We also have a few questions in store regarding the future of Final Fantasy VII. Can we look forward to the absolute favorite summon of many fans in the grand finale: Knights of the Round? In the original, the animation took so long that you could almost breed your own Gold Chocobo in the meantime. Will the team keep this epic length as a small homage to the PlayStation 1 era, or do such gigantic attacks, as well as Sephiroth's Supernova, have to be completely rethought for modern pacing?

Naoki Hamaguchi: That’s a pretty hardcore question (laughs). There are many elements that symbolize FINAL FANTASY VII, and I definitely think the Knights of the Round and the visual effects for Sephiroth’s Supernova are among the most iconic. However, I can’t go into specifics at this point regarding how these elements will be handled in the trilogy or what decisions have been made. I believe these are all themes that require very careful consideration, especially when balancing them with the modern gaming experience. That said, speaking not only as a developer but also as a fan who played the original, I’m personally very curious about how best to recreate those iconic moments for today’s audience. I’d be thrilled if you could play the game yourselves and see for your own eyes what conclusions we’ve reached.

ntower: To properly celebrate the conclusion of the trilogy, it would naturally make sense to release the final part right on time for the original game's 30th anniversary in 2027. How far along is the planning for the third part currently, and when can fans hope for the first news? Might you be able to reveal a few small details about the grand finale to us today?

Naoki Hamaguchi: We are not yet at the stage where we can share detailed information or a specific release date for the third title. However, as previously mentioned, development is progressing on schedule. We are carefully fine-tuning the game right up to the very end to ensure it is delivered in a form befitting the conclusion of the trilogy, so we hope you can look forward to it.

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2026/05/final-fantasy-vii-director-has-already-completed-over-40-full-playthroughs-of-the-third-game

Feature: "It's Rare For Me To Make Downtime" - Naoki Hamaguchi Talks Final Fantasy VII's "Packed And Eventful" Development

How do you find the balance between extending the story of FFVII into three games whilst staying faithful to the original vision?

The greatest challenge was thoughtfully evaluating, title by title, how far to push “nostalgia” and “innovation” respectively, so they could work in balance.

For players familiar with the original game, I think what matters goes beyond the story arc itself—it’s the relationships between the characters, and the emotions they felt upon discovering this world. Those are elements we can’t afford to treat lightly. At the same time, for players discovering FFVII today, we needed to update the presentation and design to align with modern sensibilities; otherwise, the experience itself simply wouldn’t resonate. For this reason, we adopted modern approaches to visual expression while preserving the emotional core and character relationships that were beloved by many in the original game. Rather than framing this as a simple binary of whether to “preserve or change” something, we’ve continuously reevaluated how to interpret these notions of “nostalgia” and “innovation,” and how to express them. As we’ve expanded the story as a trilogy, that thinking has remained consistent. That’s our approach to making the Final Fantasy VII Remake series as a whole.

When we spoke in 2025, you mentioned that development on the third game was progressing well – you had finalised the story and begun working on the core gameplay. Without going into too much detail, can you provide an update on the game’s progress?

We’re very excited about how the game is currently progressing. I have already completed over 40 full playthroughs! I can’t wait for as many people as possible to experience the game for themselves, and myself and the team are working hard to ensure we can create an unforgettable gameplay experience.

As you look ahead to the conclusion of the Remake Trilogy, how does it feel to bring such a significant chapter of your life to a close?

When I look back, the finish line of this project felt unimaginably far away when it first began. But now it feels like time has flown by surprisingly quickly, partly because our days in development were so packed and eventful.

For me, Final Fantasy VII is a truly special title that I’ve deeply admired, even as a creator. Because of that, I’ve always carried the belief that this remake series must live up to the expectations of fans who have continued to show their love for FFVII, and honour the efforts of my fellow creators who have run alongside me up until this point.

I, myself, have been involved with this project for over ten years, but with this final instalment, I feel a deep certainty that we’ll be able to deliver an experience that’ll make people think, “I’m glad I stayed with the series until the end.” That’s something I feel in my heart. For the many fans who have supported us over this long journey, I sincerely hope that the time you’ve spent following this story to its conclusion will stay with you, as something to cherish. My wish, from the bottom of my heart, is that we deliver a finale that’s worthy of that.

aus: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-03-06/-final-fantasy-vii-remake-director-teases-the-trilogy-s-finale?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc3MjgyMDM4NywiZXhwIjoxNzczNDI1MTg3LCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJUQkhPTzFLSVAzSjYwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiJCMUVBQkI5NjQ2QUM0REZFQTJBRkI4MjI1MzgyQTJFQSJ9.Gpn_5j3Y392nfeJAzGvFz0lbXuhlhUvht3W0bVaiVOI&leadSource=uverify%20wall 

The third and final entry in the ‘Final Fantasy VII’ remake trilogy is expected to be revealed soonScreenshot: Square Enix

(...)

The day after the Nintendo event, I met with Hamaguchi for a lengthy interview about his career (more on that much later) and some teases for what’s coming next. Square Enix has not yet given Part 3 a title or said when it will be out — “I’m hoping it’s not going to be too far in the future,” Hamaguchi told me — but it is expected to be revealed this year.

Hamaguchi hinted that the third game will bring in new gameplay elements that weren’t in the first two. “We didn’t want the three installments to be a reskinning of the same game over and over again,” he said, speaking through an interpreter. “We want to make sure we’re expanding with every installment in terms of scale, as well as retaining that freshness as you go into each installment.”

He added that his team “already has the foundation of the gameplay in place” and is fine-tuning and polishing the game in preparation for release.

Back in 2023, Hamaguchi told me that one of the secrets to Rebirth’s success was staff retention, which was also the case for this third entry. “I think the number is closer to 95% of the Rebirth staff that stayed on for the third project,” he said.

So what about specifics? They’re saving some details for the proper reveal, but I did convince Hamaguchi to let me ask some rapid-fire questions about what will or won’t make it from the original Final Fantasy VII into the third part of the remake, given how much they changed for the last one.

Jason Schreier: Will Rocket Town be in the game?

Naoki Hamaguchi: Yeah, this is one of the elements we had to switch around with Rebirth. Yes.

Wutai?

It’s one of the main locations. Yuffie’s made a very prominent appearance, stating her case about her homeland. So if Wutai’s not featured, I think the fans are going to yell at me

Will the Highwind let you fly anywhere?

We want to expand on the gameplay experience. Flying the Highwind is a very large part of the third installment. Let me leave it at that.

Chocobo breeding?

I can’t say yay or nay on the actual breeding. But there is an element in the third installment involving Chocobos that is a little different than Rebirth.

Will we go to space?

I’ll keep that a secret but considering Rocket Town is a yes…

Will we go underwater?

It’s an interesting question because [Motomu] Toriyama handled the submarine portion of the game. So perhaps he has injected himself into there. And I will leave it at that.

Will the Great Glacier area be as big as it is in the original game?

Because it is a major element in the game, I won’t go deep into details. But considering that toward the end of Rebirth, we’re in the Forgotten City — and in the original you would go into Icicle Inn from there — I guess that hints at how the third installment will begin. I hope the players will look forward to it.

Keine News, ich fand das Zitat nur zum Schießen

FFVII Rebirth cutscene director Hidekazu Miyake says the team put an unexpected amount of work into making Sephiroth feel human in Nibelheim. The team debated how to do so, and decided to have him do things like cross his arms and pat Cloud on the back encouragingly (RbU, 2024) #FF7R #FF7 #Sephiroth

— Shinra Archaeology (@shinraarchaeology.bsky.social) 21. Februar 2026 um 04:05

Ich empfand das Verhalten tatsächlich als total untypisch. Wir kennen doch einen menschlichen Seph aus Crisis Core, und da ist er ja nicht so. Aber ich schätze, wenn man nur ein Kapitel Zeit hat, kein ganzes Spiel, in dem sich eine Figur entwickeln kann, dann muss man vielleicht etwas deutlicher werden.
Das war's schon.