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Square Enix’s highly-anticipated Final Fantasy 7 remake has been pushed back to April 10th, 2020.
The original Japanese-language announcement on Twitter didn’t explain why the delay was necessary, but producer Yoshinori Kitase has since explained on Square Enix’s website that they needed to delay the March 3rd scheduled release to “apply final polish and deliver [players] the best possible experience”.
“We know that so many of you are looking forward to the release of Final Fantasy 7 remake and have been waiting patiently to experience what we have been working on,” Kitase said (thanks, Eurogamer). “In order to ensure we deliver a game that is in-line with our vision, and the quality that our fans who have been waiting for deserve, we have decided to move the release date to April 10, 2020.
“We are making this tough decision in order to give ourselves a few extra weeks to apply final polish to the game and to deliver you with the best possible experience. I, on behalf of the whole team, want to apologise to everyone, as I know this means waiting for the game just a little bit longer.”
Just two weeks ago, news spread that dataminers had been able to trawl through an as-yet-unpublished demo for Final Fantasy 7 remake and unearthed a number of spoilers for the game.
Developer/publisher Square Enix hadn’t even confirmed a demo was coming, let alone published it, but numerous videos showcasing the demo had already popped up online, with reports that players with hacked consoles were able to locate and install the demo ahead of its announcement. Beyond simply spoiling news that the demo was coming in the first place, it seems a number of files from the main game have been included in the demo, too, further spoiling a number of key surprises such as character redesigns, locations, and enemies. Some fans also believe there were clues about the Remake’s sequel, too.
In other Final Fantasy news, a live-action series based upon Square Enix’s MMO RPG Final Fantasy XIV is in development by Sony Pictures Television and Hivemind, the company also bringing The Witcher to Netflix. The live-action television series will reportedly tell an original story set in the fantastic world of Eorzea.
“Inspired directly by the world and characters of the title’s fourteenth installment”, the project “will embrace the bold and genre-bending sensibilities of the revered and long-running Final Fantasy series as it explores the struggle between magic and technology in a quest to bring peace to a land in conflict”. The show will reportedly be “filled with iconic hallmarks of the title’s revered mythology” including magitek, beastmen, airships, and chocobos, plus characters like Cid, “one of the games’ central and most beloved characters who has appeared in almost every instalment of the franchise to date”.
