Final Fantasy 7 Remake to be a multi-part series

Here comes the catch, everyone. According to a press release issued by Square Enix on Sunday evening, the upcoming Final Fantasy 7 Remake “will be told across a multi-part series, with each entry providing its own unique experience.”

The statement can be pulled apart in a few different ways, with the simplest conclusion pointing to Final Fantasy 7 Remake - a comprehensive do-over from start to finish - being released in episodic format. Square Enix describing “each entry” as a “unique experience” suggests Final Fantasy 7's original story may be serialized across several episodes, each possibly being a standalone game.

Episodically built games are nothing new anymore, though they are a relatively recent development for major Japanese franchises like Final Fantasy. Capcom most recently experimented with the format in Resident Evil Revelations 2, opting for a strict weekly schedule - the game was released in chunks, moreso than being developed piece by piece. Looking even further back, developer CyberConnect2 experimented with an episodic format for Asura's Wrath, which told its story of divine vengeance in episodes, leaving the ending (ugh) for DLC.

Taken in an extreme direction (see: definitely not gonna happen), I’d like to think “unique experience” means that different versions of Final Fantasy 7 are being made by different developers. In that case, we’d get a killer action game from Platinum, a whimsical retelling from Level-5 and … uh … maybe just a whole game based on Cloud and Barret’s date at Golden Saucer. Like I said, not gonna happen.

I’m following up with Square Enix for more information. In the meantime, the publisher has also reiterated that all of the new footage released during this weekend’s PlayStation Experience was a mixture of CG scenes and, for the first time, in-game footage. Even beyond my speculation over what it’ll mean to be episodic, Final Fantasy 7 is going to be a wildly different game when it's released first on PlayStation 4.

June 17, 2022 update: Final Fantasy 7 Remake is indeed a multi-part series. We now know that part two is officially titled Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

Ludwig Kietzmann

Ludwig Kietzmann is a veteran video game journalist and former U.S. Editor-in-Chief for GamesRadar+. Before he held that position, Ludwig worked for sites like Engadget and Joystiq, helping to craft news and feature coverage. Ludwig left journalism behind in 2016 and is now an editorial director at Assembly Media, helping to oversee editorial strategy and media relations for Xbox.  

Latest in Games
A screenshot shows Pokemon Legends: Z-A protagonists standing in a city at night.
Pokemon is a stealth game now: Pokemon Legends Z-A wants you to sneak attack trainers during its nighttime battle royale
Samus firing a beam in a screenshot from Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.
Our best look at Metroid Prime 4 yet shows Samus with a new suit and some psychic abilities, but we're still staring down a 2025 placeholder
a cyborg pac-man fused with a mysterious protagonist grabs an enemy off a ledge and eats it
Pac-Man the gritty Metroidvania, inexplicably in the works at Amazon's Secret Level, gets a new launch date and some very dark gameplay
A screenshot from Witchbrook.
Gorgeous pixel art life sim Witchbrook blends Stardew Valley and Hogwarts Legacy, as the wizard school RPG arrives later this year
Nintendo shows off the Switch and Switch 2's Virtual Game Cards system with two Miis
Preparing for the Switch 2, Nintendo announces "Virtual Game Cards" you can move between consoles and loan to friends for up to 2 weeks
The village green in Atomfall
My first 3 hours in Atomfall feel playing Fallout 3 for the first time, and if you don't check it out I'm legally obligated to beat you with a cricket bat
Latest in News
A screenshot shows Pokemon Legends: Z-A protagonists standing in a city at night.
Pokemon is a stealth game now: Pokemon Legends Z-A wants you to sneak attack trainers during its nighttime battle royale
Samus firing a beam in a screenshot from Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.
Our best look at Metroid Prime 4 yet shows Samus with a new suit and some psychic abilities, but we're still staring down a 2025 placeholder
a cyborg pac-man fused with a mysterious protagonist grabs an enemy off a ledge and eats it
Pac-Man the gritty Metroidvania, inexplicably in the works at Amazon's Secret Level, gets a new launch date and some very dark gameplay
A screenshot from Witchbrook.
Gorgeous pixel art life sim Witchbrook blends Stardew Valley and Hogwarts Legacy, as the wizard school RPG arrives later this year
Nintendo shows off the Switch and Switch 2's Virtual Game Cards system with two Miis
Preparing for the Switch 2, Nintendo announces "Virtual Game Cards" you can move between consoles and loan to friends for up to 2 weeks
Nintendo Switch 2 controller slot
Best Buy just confirmed the Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order date, and there's only days left to wait