Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's director is struggling to decide how to kick off the JRPG's final installment

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Naoki Hamaguchi is stuck on how to proceed with the beginning of the end of the Remake trilogy

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
(Image credit: Square Enix)

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi is struggling to decide how to kick off the third and final installment in the series.

Of course, Rebirth just launched in February, and considering the deluge of excellent JRPGs that also released near the start of 2024, it's completely understandable if you've yet to finish the Remake sequel. That said, games of this scope take a long time to develop, and Hamaguchi said in February that the threequel was "in the same situation today" as Rebirth was when development on the first game ended, which is to say that it's likely somewhere at the beginning of its development cycle.

However, Hamaguchi said in the Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Ultimania explainer book that he still isn't quite sure how the next game should start. According to a translation from Shinra Archaeology Department, Hamaguchi said that if the third game will follow the plotline from the original Final Fantasy 7, then it'll start with Cloud and co. heading to Icicle Inn and the Great Cavity, after which the Weapons will show up and the protagonists will get the airship. Even with this vague framework in mind, Hamaguchi said he remains undecided on the best way to start the game.

I'm curious to know exactly what Hamaguchi meant when he suggested Remake Part 3 might not follow the original game, or rather to what degree he was implying it could diverge from the plot. I know there have been some pretty significant creative changes in Remake and Rebirth, but with the third game tying a knot on the whole Remake series, it'll be interesting to see if long-time fans are in for a surprise at the finish line.

Even the Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth explainer book can't explain what's up with the JRPG's divisive ending.

Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.