Which Platforms Are Next for Final Fantasy VII Remake?
Now that Final Fantasy VII Remake has finally hit PS4 player’s screens, fans that play other platforms are wondering where it might go next.
“FF7R” by datcravat from Deviantart.com
Not all remakes of iconic games get it right (we’re looking at you, Goldeneye 007 Reloaded) but Square Enix’s Final Fantasy VII Remake has impressed even the most diehard fans of the original. It was the bestselling video game of April 2020, edging out chart mainstays like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and is so far the third best-selling game of 2020 overall. With that much commercial success, it’s no surprise that fans are wondering if the critically lauded game will be available on their preferred system after its PS4 exclusivity ends on March 3, 2021.
Details remain sparse, but if the cross-platform pedigree of other Final Fantasy titles are any indication, well, any system has a shot. Gameplay footage that was apparently captured via PC made rounds online for the last few months and suggest that it will eventually land on Windows, but Square Enix has yet to confirm or deny this possibility.
While Xbox One and PC seem the most likely next stops for Final Fantasy VII Remake, there’s a slim chance that Switch-ers will see this title as Nintendo Switch doesn’t consistently land Final Fantasy titles outside of older releases or game remasters, the most recent being 2017’s Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age. It doesn’t bode well that Final Fantasy XV has yet to make it to Nintendo’s crown jewel—so it could very well take a while for Final Fantasy VII Remake to do so—if ever.
Fear of missing out is real with this one as Final Fantasy VII Remake is the perfect tribute to the Final Fantasy heavyweight it was modeled after–with some amazing updates thrown in. The battle system, for example, has shifted from turn-based to real-time without sacrificing any of the original’s charm thanks to Unreal Engine 4 and Lead Battle Designer Tomotaka Shiroichi’s four-frame manga approach to boss battles. Lead writer Kazushige Nojima and team also breathe new life in the “love triangle” between Cloud, Aerith and Tifa giving it depth and meaning unachieved in the original version, while Barret is still, well, Barret—to fan’s delight.
Final Fantasy VII Remake’s Midgar deep-dive has certainly wet the public’s appetite for the next installment of the series, Final Fantasy VII Remake 2 (working title), which is in development—though the release date is a mystery—and it’s anyone’s guess if it will be a multi-platform release or if it will share the same exclusivity as its predecessor.
For now, the only surefire way to play the Final Fantasy VII Remake is to get your hands on a PS4, or, if that’s not a option, the Final Fantasy VII Remake soundtrack is out now, and it only requires an internet connection.
Prosepunk 