Yesterday, the internet was abuzz with news that Final Fantasy VII Remake would be an episodic release. Quickly fans began to predict the worst for the game, as the idea of Final Fantasy VII being split up and sectioned off seemed to be something they wouldn’t enjoy. This was all prompted by the reporting of a few lines in Square Enix’s press release, detailing the gameplay reveal at Playstation Experience for Final Fantasy VII Remake.
The line in question is highlighted in the image, but it reads, “FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE will be told across a multi-part series, with each entry providing its own unique experience.”
Many have taken that line to mean that the game will be episodic, much like is seen with the Telltale games and the business model that Square Enix’s upcoming Hitman game seems to follow. The internet did not seem pleased, and Final Fantasy VII fans can out in droves to defend the game and let their voices be heard.
FFVII is an extremely important game and this is an extremely unorthodox approach to releasing it. Square are hopefully keenly aware of this
— ＢＥＡＴ・ＲＵＳＨ (@meteo_drive) December 7, 2015
So the real question is, how much are square going to rob us for each "episode" of FFVII and how long will they be?
— Matt (@TigreStratos) December 7, 2015
Ohhhhhhhh, so “episodic content” means they’re selling FFVII in chunks, rather than as a whole product? Oh my. *giggle* That’s funny.
— Eric Bailey (@Nintendo_Legend) December 7, 2015
"Oh man, FFVII Remake Episode 1 is awesome! I'm close to the end! City of the Ancients! Wonder how'll it end?" pic.twitter.com/psAwSfeTZK
— Santacyte Luxaloix (@sagacyte) December 7, 2015
As one of the tweets above shows, fans of Final Fantasy VII have gone as far as to create a Change.Org petition in order to stop the “episodic” release of the game. The petition claims that by allowing Square Enix to release Final Fantasy VII Remake in episodic form, fans are simply allowing companies to release “incomplete products,” helping to cultivate a culture where gamers are paying full price for something but only receiving part of the game.
I reached out to Square Enix for comment and clarification on what the press release was saying about Final Fantasy VII Remake being a “multi-part series.” Square Enix has provided the following response.
“[A multi-part series] means instead of concluding in one entry, multiple entries are being considered in development. Each entry will have its own unique story. As a gaming experience, each entry will have the volume of content equal to a full-sized game.”
When asked why the development team decided to go this route, Square Enix responded, “[Final Fantasy VII Remake is] going to be multi-part because when we considered fully remaking FFVII in PS4 quality, and as we look over much of it, we estimated the volume to be beyond what could be fit in one entry.”
So each entry will be the size of a full-sized game and will have its own unique story. This looks like Final Fantasy VII Remake might be taking the route that Square Enix used with Final Fantasy XIII, and its sequels. In an interview with Dengeki Online, translated by Gematsu, director Tetsuya Nomura said that if they didn’t split up Final Fantasy VII Remake into multiple parts, they would have to “cut parts” to make it work.
Whatever your feeling about the Final Fantasy VII Remake, it’ll be interesting to see how this release model plays out moving forward. What are your thoughts about the multi-part Final Fantasy VII Remake release? Sound off in the comments below.
[Image via Square Enix]
