Final Fantasy 7 Remake Director Plans to Work Closely With Nintendo
A fresh start.
Over 25 years after Final Fantasy 7 jumped ship from Nintendo to PlayStation, things are truly coming full circle with Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade on Nintendo Switch 2. While we don’t quite have a date for Remake on Switch 2, Nintendo has released the latest in a line of “Creator’s Voice” videos. There are some interesting tidbits — and one which stands out right away: Final Fantasy 7 Remake director Naoki Hamaguchi wants the Final Fantasy series, in general, to have a “strong partnership” with Nintendo.
Hamaguchi’s statement is obviously pretty broad, but it does reinforce what’s the idea that Square Enix has been one of Nintendo’s closest partners — and will continue to be. The full statement is, “ I have high hopes that we can build a strong partnership between Nintendo and the Final Fantasy brand.”
That could mean any number of things, but at the very least suggests Square Enix already has plans in the works on how to support Switch 2. And considering Final Fantasy 7 Remake was announced in the reveal Direct, it’s fair to assume Square is one of the few companies that have had early access to dev kits.
Square has had incredible support for the first Nintendo Switch, and not just in terms of ports but even exclusive games. Octopath Traveler and its sequel, Bravely Default 2, and Triangle Strategy were all timed Switch exclusives that Nintendo heavily marketed. But the interesting wrinkle here is that we never saw an “exclusive” Final Fantasy game on Switch — which practically seems like leaving money on the table.
The Switch is now officially the third best-selling system of all time, and RPGs in particular have absolutely flourished on the system — from first-party Nintendo offerings like Xenoblade, to third-party games like Shin Megami Tensei. Even the Octopath games sold millions of copies on Switch, so it’s easy to see the kind of attention an exclusive Final Fantasy might bring.
Although Square and Hamaguchi haven’t officially said, it seems inevitable that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will come to the platform, and likely the third game as well. Hamaguchi says in the video that he was “intrigued” by the capabilities of Switch 2, and only brought Remake over because the system can apparently run the game at “full specs.” Interestingly, he also says development on Switch 2 was surprisingly easy, and if you know how to make a game on the first Switch, that knowledge carries right over. So with Remake now coming to the platform, it should help with the next games, which are built on the same framework.
Intergrade is the “complete” version of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, featuring enhanced graphics and the Yuffie-focused Episode Intermission DLC.
But even past Final Fantasy 7, there’s real potential to expand the series on Switch 2, push it into new territory. There’s the heavily rumored Final Fantasy 9 Remake, and putting that front and center on Switch 2 could be massive. That brings up the age-old debate about how the series has moved on from turn-based gameplay, a conversation that’s been sparked once again by the rampant success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
Octopath Traveler and especially Bravely Default are turn-based Final Fantasy games in everything but name — those games are so integrally tuned to the spirit of Final Fantasy. But Switch 2 could be the prime opportunity to give fans that “classic” Final Fantasy they keep pining for. A nostalgic turn-based affair that’s perfect on a handheld console, perfect for playing on the go. There’s no reason Final Fantasy can’t be both smaller games and these big tentpole AAA experiences, like Rebirth and Final Fantasy XVI.
Square Enix had fantastic turn-based offerings on the first Switch, so maybe it’s time to translate that into something new for Switch 2.
The identity of Final Fantasy has long been tied to the idea of experimentation, constantly trying something new and innovative. The Nintendo Switch 2 presents that opportunity, and as the series continues to struggle to find its modern identity — the new system might be a necessary piece of the puzzle.
