Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2 development affected by COVID-19, but it won't have "a big impact in the long term"

(Image credit: Square Enix)

Development is currently underway on Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2 via remote working as a result of the coronavirus, but producer Yoshinori Kitase says it won't have a "big impact in the long term."

In a recent interview with The Guardian, Kitase and co-director Naoki Hamaguchi spoke about the impact COVID-19 has had on the release of the first part, and how it's also affecting the ongoing development of the game.

"At this current time, the team is still making the next game via remote working," Kitase said. "Our performance will temporarily drop below 100% efficiency because of this, but I do not think there should be a big impact in the long term. I sincerely hope that Final Fantasy 7 Remake can provide those who are forced to endure the stress of living under lockdown a moment of relief and enjoyment in these trying times."

There's been a lot of speculation surrounding where the next part of Final Fantasy 7 Remake will take players, given the intriguing ending to this year's game. In an interview featured in the Final Fantasy 7 Remake Ultimania with Kitase and director Tetsuya Nomura, Kitase said the team has a "general idea" of where the Remake will go, and that they're not "drastically changing the story and making it into something completely different than the original."

That interview also revealed the team was still deciding how many parts the game will be made up of. Nomura expressed a hope to release the follow-up "ASAP", and also shared some thoughts surrounding whether the Remake will be released in "more detailed smaller parts" to speed up development or if it will be released in larger sections.

We recently spoke to co-director Naoki Hamaguchi to learn more about the decisions behind the changes that shaped Final Fantasy 7 Remake.

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Heather Wald is the Evergreen Editor, Games at GamesRadar+. Her writing career began on a student-led magazine at Bath Spa University, where she earned a BA (Hons) in English literature. Heather landed her first role writing about tech and games for Stuff Magazine shortly after graduating with an MA in magazine journalism at Cardiff University. Now with almost seven years of experience working with GamesRadar+ on the features team, Heather helps to develop, maintain, and expand the evergreen features that exist on the site for games, as well as spearhead the Indie Spotlight series. You'll also see her contribute op-eds, interview-led features, and more. In her spare time, you'll likely find Heather tucking into RPGs and indie games, reading romance novels, and drinking lots of tea.