Final Fantasy 7 Revelation, the third and final entry in Square Enix's remake trilogy, will be available on disc when it launches on April 8, but the physical version comes with a massive caveat: unlike the two-disc Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Revelation will be a single disc and will only contain the opening parts of the game. You'll have to be connected to the internet to download and play the rest of the game. Naturally, this raises questions about the nature of physical media, entitlements, and whether the disc version of Final Fantasy 7 Revelation can fundamentally be considered physical media. And yet, director Naoki Hamaguchi wants you to know he really stuck his neck out to get the game on disc at all.
Talking to Radio Times, Hamaguchi says he has fond memories of collecting physical games as a kid and will still buy discs when he's "particularly attached to a title," but he ultimately sees "a world in the not-too-distant future where physical media is essentially disc-less," adding that "You would have a copy of the code on a piece of paper inside the physical box or something like that."
That sort of thing already exists in things like Switch 2 game-key cards and some special editions, but it sounds like Hamaguchi thinks that'll be how all physical games work in the near future, which is kind of sad. Regardless, the veteran game developer says he "really like[s] and appreciate[s] physical media," and acknowledges the 'no disc, no purchase' movement that's happening on social media.
"And for Final Fantasy 7 Revelation, we've been able to preserve a physical edition. You can't play the entire game on that disc, but it's got the opening – a sort of key disc – and then after that, it will ask you to download the rest."
Hamaguchi is keenly aware that Final Fantasy 7 Revelation's physical version hasn't exactly been a huge hit with fans, but he says that, despite his trying, the decision is largely out of his hands.
"I've got people saying to me on social media, 'Give us a full disc version!' And so, from an overall perspective, let me first say that as the director, it's my responsibility to look after the content of the game to make sure it's fun, really exciting.
"The product line-up, the SKUs (stock keeping units), how it's going on sale; that is the responsibility of the publishing team. So, my authority there is somewhat limited," says Hamaguchi.
Of course, this whole conversation is happening with a big contextual backdrop that is PlayStation's decision to stop producing physical games in 2028. Developers and publishers are also gradually moving toward digital-only games despite fervent opposition from physical media collectors and even game preservationists, but Hamaguchi says he "did [his] best" convincing Square Enix to give Final Fantasy 7 Revelation a physical release.
"In this day and age, as we've been talking about, there's a lot of pressure for disc-less editions, digital editions, and I used my position to put forth an argument for the physical version as much as possible.
"And all of the negotiations, both internally and with first parties, have led us to where we are now, and of course, I completely understand there are those out there who may not really agree with that direction or approve of that direction."
It is, as they say, what it is.
