Without getting too misty-eyed, a "physical game" used to be easy to define. You bought a box and the game was sitting inside on a disc or cartridge.

Fast-forward to today and things are more complicated. The box might hold a download code or a Game-Key Card that still needs software from a server, while some expensive collector’s editions don’t even include a physical copy at all. So, with Sony steering full-steam toward Playstation's digital-only future, what exactly are we going to mean by a "physical game" in 2030?

To find out, I spoke to Perry Gresham, head of data at MIDiA Research, and James McWhirter, senior analyst at Omdia. Their answers suggest the physical box isn’t necessarily going anywhere – but what it contains, and what owning it gives you, may change dramatically.

Physical demand could outlive the disc

It’s easy to look at the growing share of digital game sales and assume the physical market is heading towards zero. Gresham thinks the picture is more complicated.

"[The] decline in consumer demand is somewhat overstated by the headline digital vs physical figures reported in financial statements," he says. "It’s important to be careful about what’s actually being measured – there are factors that distort the picture. PC and mobile games are almost entirely digital-only, a lot of games now aren’t seeing a physical release, and importantly, stats reported often include in-game spending within the ‘digital’ part."

Gresham also notes that discounted older games still count as digital unit sales, while second-hand physical sales aren’t captured in publisher financials.

There’s still plenty of appetite for something tangible, too. Recent YouGov research found 51% of US console gamers generally preferred discs or cartridges, with permanent ownership the most commonly cited reason among physical buyers.

Gresham expects the physical market decline to moderate as we approach 2030, in part because many of the people still buying physical games actively care about ownership, resale, or collecting. If publishers force that audience towards digital, some may simply stop buying instead. “There’s a risk of shrinking the pie if those physical buyers don’t shift over,” he says.

If that decline does flatten, the pressure may increasingly come from the supply side: companies could stop making discs and cartridges before players stop wanting to buy them. PlayStation is already moving in that direction, with Sony planning to end disc production in 2028.

Why publishers want the game off the disc

Changing buying habits are only part of the appeal for publishers – there are some very practical reasons to get the game itself off the disc or cartridge.

On Nintendo platforms, physical remains a major route to market. Omdia estimates that just under 40% of full-game purchases in 2026 will be physical. But McWhirter says the cost of Switch 2 Game Cards is significant, with Game-Key Cards offering publishers a cheaper alternative.

"The cheaper per-unit cost of Game Key-Cards allows publishers like Square Enix and Ubisoft to launch at lower price points while also giving them the flexibility to discount post-launch and avoid ‘Switch tax’ and code-in-box reprints," he says.

McWhirter notes that Nintendo has wrestled with cartridge cost and supply before, citing the Famicom Disk System and Nintendo 64DD as earlier attempts to find alternatives.

Physical manufacturing creates an earlier deadline, too. On PlayStation and Xbox, McWhirter says download-dependent releases can give developers more time to finish a game before it has to be locked down for manufacture. "This is more important for games aiming to launch during periods where release dates are less flexible, like the holiday season," he says.

The disc also sits awkwardly with platform strategies that increasingly stretch beyond the living-room console. PlayStation and Xbox are looking towards PCs, handhelds, and cloud streaming to reach players on more devices.

McWhirter puts it plainly: “Discs are likely seen as an impediment,” while digital purchases can potentially follow players across consoles, PCs, handhelds, and cloud streaming.

What does physical ownership actually mean?

Once the game itself no longer has to live on the disc or cartridge, the physical object has a different job.

Switch 2 Game-Key Cards are a good example: they contain no game data, but the card still behaves much like a traditional physical copy once the software has been downloaded. "Game-Key Cards are not single-use codes and allow for lending and resale," McWhirter says. "They also do not require a Nintendo eShop account."

Gresham thinks that idea could eventually move beyond familiar game media altogether, with a physical token representing the purchase – potentially something as simple as a flash drive.

A code in a box works very differently. Redeem one of those and the game becomes tied to your digital account, leaving the physical package with no transferable copy to lend or sell. In practical terms, a Game-Key Card with no game stored on it can preserve more of the freedoms associated with physical ownership than a lavish collector’s edition containing a download code.

The weak spot is the download itself. A fresh Game-Key Card installation still depends on the game data being available online, although McWhirter notes that data can also be transferred locally between Switch 2 handsets.

Gresham thinks the same questions will increasingly matter for digital purchases too: "For consumers, the merit of any digital solution will come down to what rights come associated with their purchase.

"Can access be revoked, and does it depend on platform servers? Can the game be played offline? Can I transfer or resell it? Will access be available in 20+ years?"

Nintendo’s Virtual Game Card system already shows one possible direction, bringing some physical-style lending to digital purchases. Gresham points to PC as a contrast, where competition between storefronts helped encourage less restrictive approaches to digital licensing; console platforms already have integrated digital ecosystems, leaving them with far less incentive to offer the same freedoms.

Why the box survives

Even if the disc disappears, there are still good reasons to keep something on the shelf. Boxed games remain useful for gifting and retail, while the packaging itself can carry value for players who want something tangible from a favourite release. Case in point: I still have my GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 boxes on display.

Sony has already said that new PlayStation games will continue to be sold through retailers after disc production ends in January 2028, albeit in digital formats. McWhirter expects that to mean packaged code-in-a-box releases.

Whether a download code can simply take the disc’s place is less certain. McWhirter points out that code-in-a-box releases on Switch have generally worked better later in a game’s life, when publishers want a cheaper reprint without committing to another run of cartridges. "And because code-in-a-box is rarely associated with day-and-date releases, they tend to end up in supermarkets at discount prices," he says.

GTA 6 could prove that model can work at launch, although few games can count on anything like its level of demand – or, at the time of writing, level of leaks.

At the other end of the market, physical games may become more elaborate. Gresham sees a parallel with music, where streaming handles most everyday listening while vinyl and other physical formats cater to fans who want to collect.

"There’s a very good chance that physical games become increasingly collector-focused," he says. Gresham argues that digital deluxe editions generally struggle to command the same premium because they lack the perceived scarcity and tangibility of a physical collector’s edition.

McWhirter also points to specialist publishers already producing physical versions of digital games in the low thousands, often selling them at a premium through Amazon or direct. As mainstream volumes fall, that model could become increasingly important – leaving the traditional boxed disc squeezed between cheap digital access and physical editions made specifically for people who really want them.

By 2030, that could leave mass-market retail selling boxes that mainly deliver digital access, while genuinely physical releases increasingly cater to enthusiasts willing to pay for them.

So what is a "physical game" in 2030?

By the end of the decade, "physical" may tell us surprisingly little about where a game lives; the box could contain the actual software or unlock a download. For some, it might simply give you something tangible to put on a shelf.

Can you lend it, resell it, play it offline, or still access it years later? A Game-Key Card and a code-in-a-box might look equally physical at the checkout, but they can leave the buyer with very different rights once they get home.

Perhaps the better question in 2030 won’t be whether a game is physical, but what the thing you’ve bought actually lets you do.

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Final Fantasy 7 Revelation director Naoki Hamaguchi warns that the finale of Square Enix's Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy will probably be about 200 GB.

Both Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth shipped on multiple discs allowing people to access the entirety of the game without the need to download anything. Not only was this a cute throwback to the PS1 era which saw the original Final Fantasy 7 ship across multiple discs, but a good way to preserve the game in the event these online stores eventually go down. However, for Part 3, news broke that the game's physical release would still require an online download.

Hamaguchi explained this is happening because the team does not want to "compromise" on the quality of the final chapter, which releasing the entirety of it on disc would require. Speaking to VGC, Hamaguchi is now asked if this means the upcoming RPG will be significantly larger than the first two entries, with the director explaining, "Things are still getting worked out, but it's probably going to be around 200 GB of game."

He adds, "I understand there are a lot of opinions about this topic, but at the end of the day, the fact is we need to overcome the hardware to a certain extent."

However, despite the fact the game will not be released entirely on disc, Hamaguchi indirectly refers to the recent news of Sony abandoning disc releases for PS5 games, and explains, "with Final Fantasy 7 Revelation, we definitely wanted to deliver some kind of physical product. That was really important to us. Trust me!"

However, I do feel for Nintendo Switch 2 owners, because 200 GB is almost the entirety of the console's storage. Although, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is almost 150 GB on PS5 and 102.5 GB on Switch 2, so hopefully things are a little smaller on Nintendo's platform.

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation boss is "so sorry" for what happens to Aerith in Rebirth, but if you're still upset, "you may change your opinion" by the end of the remake trilogy.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake series director Naoki Hamaguchi says that Revelation's story DLCs will dig deeper into their subjects, but he's not telling us when exactly they'll be set.

Earlier this month we finally got confirmation that Final Fantasy 7 Revelation will be releasing next April, and that after skipping DLC with Rebirth, the final entry in the trilogy will be getting two expansion packs. The first is simply titled Sephiroth, while the second is titled Vincent & the Turks, with expansions set to release between Winter 2027 and Spring 2028.

Speaking to VGC, Hamaguchi explains: "It's best to imagine the DLC like what we did with Intermission: digging deeper into the characters of Vincent and Sephiroth." However, the game's director isn't ready to divulge when exactly these stories take place within the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy, saying, "In regard to whether those stories take place in the past or the present, I'm not going to tell you that now, but we're excited to reveal that."

Given Vincent is the star of his own game, in the form of Dirge of Cerberus, it is entirely possible that Square Enix's plan for his DLC could be an alternate retelling of that game that factors in the Turks. However, given Dirge of Cerberus originally takes place as one of the latest parts of the Final Fantasy 7 timeline, it seems more likely that it'll be a prequel featuring his time as a Turk.

As for Sephiroth, the possibilities are far more vast. You could easily have some of the events that precede the events of Final Fantasy 7, during Sephiroth's time as a Soldier, or have him off doing something during the events of the game.

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation boss is "so sorry" for what happens to Aerith in Rebirth, but if you're still upset, "you may change your opinion" by the end of the remake trilogy.

A few weeks ago, we learned that Terranigma would finally get a modern re-release, bringing the classic Super Nintendo JRPG out in North America for the very first time. Today, remaster dev Clear River Games has confirmed that the new edition of Terranigma will launch on January 14, offering a host of details on the in-game updates and the first look at a super-deluxe $200 collector's edition.

Terranigma was originally developed by Quintet, a now-defunct studio responsible for numerous SNES classics like ActRaiser and Illusion of Gaia. Like many of those games, Terranigma was published by Enix – now one half of Square Enix – and has seemingly been trapped in some kind of licensing limbo ever since. Now it's finally coming out of the vault in style.

The Terranigma remaster launches across PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, Switch, and PC via Steam and GOG on January 14, with physical editions available for all current console platforms. You can put $200 into the Gaia Edition, if you're so inclined, netting you a Yomi figure, music box, art book, cloth world map, soundtrack CD, and more. Pre-orders are available through Limited Run Games in the US or straight from developer Clear River Games in Europe.

But for me, the real news today is the remaster itself. Terranigma will feature an "original mode" offering "untouched balance" and the "original save system" for the classic experience. Even in this mode, however, there's a new sidebar alongside the 4:3 game window that shows your current money and experience, as well as a new set of quick access controls letting you quickly swap equipped items.

You can also swap to the "arranged mode," which promises "enhanced progression" and "adjusted difficulty," along with modern retro gaming conveniences like quick saves and rewinds. Best of all is a new minimap that shows your position in the current location.

These are the kinds of features I wish Square Enix itself would invest in for games like the OG Final Fantasy titles. The Pixel Remasters have turned out to be decent ways to play the originals, but those games have aesthetic and gameplay "improvements" that are questionable at best, and even the upgrades don't go as far as Terranigma's minimap and new inventory controls do. Getting the option of going back to the original experience and game balance offers the best of both worlds.

I'd be happy enough getting an official US release of Terranigma in just about any condition, but the remaster devs here are clearly going above and beyond to make sure this will be worth the three-decade wait.

These are the best SNES games of all time.

Once Final Fantasy 7 Revelation comes out on April 8, 2027, the entire Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy will likely total at least 150 hours of Cloud being tormented – assuming the final installment is as long as the two before it. That's already a lot of Final Fantasy 7 remake, but Square Enix company director Yoshinori Kitase might be craving more, and he wouldn't rule out a spin-off, or 12.

He had the same open approach to the original Final Fantasy 7 game in 1997, Kitase tells Malaysia-based games news site GamerBraves. That RPG was meant to be a one-and-done experience until fans' sleepless enthusiasm led to years of related games, like the popular Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII from 2007, which also got remastered in 2022 as Final Fantasy 7 Crisis Core Reunion.

Kitase says, "In terms of the remake series with [Final Fantasy 7], we really wanted to feel like, and we really have put so much work into this to feel like we've done everything we possibly can to make this [newest] title have the best quality it possibly can have." At the moment, that assessment seems honest – GamesRadar+ senior producer James Daly writes in his recent Final Fantasy 7 Revelation preview, "I wonder how Naoki Hamaguchi and Square Enix so masterfully manage to weave nostalgia into something so obviously new in so many ways. Maybe I'll never truly understand."

At the risk of sounding cynical, I think it helps that Square Enix developers are so willing to squeeze every single molecule of inspiration from Final Fantasy 7 until it's dry and crackling. The developer learned this approach 30 years ago. "When we created the original Final Fantasy VII," Kitase says, "we really thought like, 'Okay, we're done now. We can move on.'"

But fans of what many consider to be one of the best Final Fantasy games of all time weren't ready to let go. "The characters were so popular and so lasting," Kitase recalls. "The fan reaction to these characters really is what brought on the spinoff games as well like Advent Children and Crisis Core.”

Now, Kitase says about Final Fantasy 7 Revelation, "We can confidently say it's the end of the series." But there's a giant, shining asterisk assigned to that statement. Square Enix is fine with walking away from its remake trilogy, but the overall concept of Final Fantasy 7 might still be holding a few cups worth of spin-off ideas.

"Who knows what's going to happen with fan reaction and how people come to enjoy this series and this finale," Kitase says. The door is open.

After countless memes, Final Fantasy 7 Revelation boss confirms that, yes, Fortnite partly inspired jumping out of the Highwind.

Fortnite's Kingdom Hearts collab is finally arriving this week, and it looks like it's not just Sora joining Epic's battle royale.

Fortnite's current gaming-themed season, Override, kicked off last month, at which point it was confirmed via the official key art that Kingdom Hearts protagonist Sora would be added to the game soon with his very own skin. Almost a month into the season, folks were starting to wonder where he was, but Epic has now revealed that we can expect him to be added to the game "this week."

A new teaser video gives us our best look yet at Sora and his slightly Fortniteified Keyblade – you'll notice that the keychain attached to it that'd normally be a little Mickey Mouse head has been swapped for a Fortnite llama, instead.

Presumably this will be available to buy as a pickaxe, though it'd be very cool if it was added to the loot pool as a Mythic weapon, too – Epic hasn't confirmed this either way at this stage, though.

That's not all, though. The official Fortnite Twitter account has also posted a series of quotes from different Kingdom Hearts characters, suggesting that they might be joining the game too. After sharing a Sora quote, Epic also posted lines from Riku, Kairi, and Roxas, so it sounds like we could have a full squad joining the fray.

We're still waiting on a number of previously teased gaming collabs to get added to Fortnite this season – Persona 5's Joker was also shown off in marketing last month, but still isn't available yet, and CD Projekt Red has now confirmed that a Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Lucy skin is on the way, too. Epic previously said that Rebecca's Guns will be available as a weapon in the loot pool at some point, so presumably these will come at the same time.

As it stands, Fortnite Override is set to run until the end of October, so here's hoping fans won't be waiting too long for those other crossovers. In the meantime, let's just hope that Kingdom Hearts' already baffling narrative web doesn't get any more complicated with some Fortnite-exclusive lore that'll become inaccessible within a few weeks.

Be sure to check out our guide to Fortnite admin panel codes to get some free bonuses this season.

After it was memed from the moment the game was announced, Final Fantasy 7 Revelation director Naoki Hamaguchi has confirmed that jumping out of the Highwind Fortnite-style was indeed inspired by Fortnite, though only partly.

The Highwind is set to be the central mechanic of Final Fantasy 7 Revelation. The massive airship that transports the party around was a big part of the original RPG, but in the era of realism and immersion, you can't simply drop to the ground and teleport out of the ship as you did on the PS1 when you arrived.

So when Final Fantasy 7 Revelation got its first showing earlier this year, we were treated to a look at how the Highwind is going to work in the third and final entry in the remake trilogy. You'll be able to fly all around the world and choose which area you're going to pop off into, which is pretty in line with what the PS1 original had. Except this time, your party launches themselves off the side of the ship, and skydives down to the map below.

Naturally, when everyone saw this, we all made the same joke, with a ton of memes of Cloud Strife asking "where we droppin'" emerging in the immediate aftermath. However, when asked about this connection by GamesRadar's Fortnite correspondent James Daly (following the Final Fantasy 7 Revelation hands-on preview), Hamaguchi did admit, "We did get a bit of inspiration from Fortnite, [we] won't lie about that."

It's funny, however, that Fortnite is the inspiration here, when Final Fantasy 7 is one of the only things left on earth that Fortnite hasn't collaborated with, as opposed to, say, Apex Legends, which had a big Final Fantasy 7 crossover and also features the squad dropping out of the sky, or the now-dead Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier battle royale game.

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation boss is "so sorry" for what happens to Aerith in Rebirth, but if you're still upset, "you may change your opinion" by the end of the remake trilogy

It looks like Final Fantasy 7 Revelation boss Naoki Hamaguchi has plenty on his plate at the moment – not only is he working to get Part 3 of the Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy out the door, he's also "pushing" Kingdom Hearts 4 "forward."

As part of the latest media rounds for FF7: Revelation, Hamaguchi has been speaking to the press once more – you can read our own Final Fantasy 7 Revelation hands-on and interview here. As part of all of that chatter, Hamaguchi delves into what next year looks like for Square Enix, and it's a busy one.

"In terms of Square Enix and 2027, our President, Takashi Kiryu, says that next year is the big fight back for us, where everything turns around," he tells Deadline. "And obviously, between Final Fantasy 7 Revelation and Kingdom Hearts 4, those are massive titles that are going to push that. And both are being developed in my own studio, Creative Studio 1. So yeah, I’m really pumped up now for that. That’s really all on my watch now, so I’m going to be the guy who’s pushing all that forward."

Hamaguchi doesn't offer much more than that, though it's interesting to hear that Kingdom Hearts 4 is on his watch and that he's "pushing" it forward. Announced back in 2022, we haven't seen much of the beloved Disney spin-off until recently. The wait was worth it, however. Not only did we get a release window of next year, but Tetsuya Nomura was quite confident it wouldn't be delayed.

Interestingly, it was only recently that Final Fantasy 14 boss Naoki Yoshida praised Hamaguchi at Fan Fest Berlin for his ability to run and organize a team well – no wonder so many fans want him on Final Fantasy 17. Whether or not Hamaguchi's talent for management lends to Nomura's confidence over the Kingdom Hearts 4 release window is hard to say, but the broader picture is encouraging.

Another thing to add that may please fans is that, while researching this article, I came across another interview with Hamaguchi in which he reportedly said he would like Kingdom Hearts 4 to get a physical edition, too.

He doesn't add much there, though he's spoken about physical media a few times lately and his thoughts on it. Back at Final Fantasy 14 Fan Fest, actually, I spoke to him about whether Square Enix had plans to offer a physical version of Final Fantasy 7 Revelation. We have since learned that they will, though his thoughts given at the time still seem relevant.

"Personally, here at something like Fan Fest or at community events for games that I've worked on, I really think that people bringing up things, asking for autographs – I think that's lovely," he said at the time. "I think it's a wonderful culture and it would be a shame to lose that. I want that to remain."

What a year 2027 might be for Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy fans.

Steam is seemingly responsible for one of the biggest leaks in years: Persona 6, Kingdom Hearts 4, Fable, Metro 2039, and over 70 other games see achievements spill online.

It's finally here – Final Fantasy 14 just got the very exciting Patch 7.56 earlier this week, and the star of the show is most definitely the MMO's new limited job: the Beastmaster.

In case you've not had the chance to experience the class yourself just yet, it plays a whole lot like Pokemon or Palworld in concept.

You capture creatures from all over Eorzea (yes, old A Realm Reborn regions are finally coming back to life), whip 'em out in combat and use all sorts of deadly combos and actions, try to catch more beasts, and… rinse and repeat. There's a handy little bestiary to help you on the way, too.

Put simply, you've gotta (and will wanna) catch them all – and it's genuinely good fun. I've spent hours grinding away in Central Shroud myself, looking forward to the Crucible, in all its painful roguelike-ish glory… and, of course, the glittery Tourmaline Golem mount you can nab by making the duty's official rankings.

I'm not the only loving Beastmaster, though. Discussions over on Reddit prove as much, with one thread dubbing the job "really fun!"

Its poster exclaims, "This content is great," adding that the achievements tied to the new job "are really cool" as well.

A separate post on the Beastmaster sees fans sharing a similar sentiment, with folks writing that they "wish it was a standard job" rather than a limited one – and, honestly, I agree. Another person chimes in that they've "been having a blast" with the job, with a plethora of replies backing their take up.

My favorite conversation so far stems from a screenshot of somebody's Warrior of Light dressed like Ash Ketchum from Pokemon, personally.

"Had to use the appropriate glam," its accompanying words read – and I love it. I also stand with the responses declaring that "the Pokemon vibe is honestly perfect." What else does Beastmaster carry with it, if not a nice old Pokemon vibe? And, that vibe is why so many of us adore the job already.

Obviously, however, not everyone likes it. There are comments here and there about how Square Enix could improve the Beastmaster (and, of course, fears that it might end up a bit… forgotten, like the Blue Mage).

Overall, though, spirits seem high when it comes to the limited job, and I can't say I've found much else to want out of it aside from, well, more levels and more utility in other parts of Final Fantasy 14.

I'm excited to see what Square Enix does with Beastmaster and how it evolves over time. Fingers crossed it's more memorable than Blue Mage – although, for me, it already is.

Final Fantasy 14 fans spot Evercold character in the MMO's Patch 7.56 screenshots, immediately theorize the expansion's new DPS class: "Is that a crossbow?"

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation might have "even more content" than Rebirth, director Naoki Hamaguchi says, who reckons that's "part of what makes the game so appealing." But if you're already feeling overwhelmed, don't stress – the devs really wanted to give you "the choice" this time over what you want to spend your time on.

Depending on how many games you play a year and how much free time you have in your life to spend on them, you might have a very different opinion on the concept of playing an enormous, content-packed JRPG. It's hard to argue that it's a bad thing for a game to be big, but it sure can be overwhelming, and potentially off-putting for those who don't have a spare hundred hours or so lying about.

Speaking to Hamaguchi at Gamescom 2026, we ask about the scale of Revelation compared to Rebirth – a JRPG he acknowledges "had a lot of content in it as well," and Square Enix hasn't slowed down since. "I'm pretty sure that Revelation has at least the same, and probably actually even more content in it than Rebirth had," he tells us. "But it's all good content. It's all going to be really appealing to play."

Hamaguchi knows, however, that for some players, bigger isn't always better. "I am aware that there is a number of players of [Rebirth] who said that the content was just too much and that they felt they were overwhelmed by it. I do understand there are people out there who felt that," he admits.

However, this hasn't put him off from the idea of making Revelation a behemoth, too: "I feel that having that huge amount of content is part of what makes the game so appealing. I don't think it's that kind of game, so I'm very confident in what it is because of that."

With that said, though, Hamaguchi says that "what's important is not how much content there is, it's how you make that interesting and accessible and enjoyable for players to interact with." He tells us that he's learned from fans' feedback following the release of Rebirth, and going into Revelation, not only is its content "all quite different," but he's taken on board the importance of communicating with players "what kind of rewards you can expect, and what kind of experience you're going to get when you take it on."

Hopefully, then, you can expect clearer signposting of what's worth it to you if you're not someone who wants to take on everything the game offers. He notes that we can now expect rewards to be split up across different types of content accordingly, with character upgrades locked behind the battle-focused content, while minigame rewards will be customization options within that specific minigame, for example.

This comes in direct response to Rebirth, where "all of the side content was tied to the Materia development system. So if you wanted that Materia, you had to do all of the content, regardless whether it was something that you would be interested in otherwise or not," he continues. "So I really wanted to address that and maybe improve it for people who felt that, like, feeling of obligation that they had to do it, but they didn't really want to."

Ultimately, the devs wanted to pay attention to the "idea of allowing the player the choice of which content they want to engage with and which they don't," he concludes.

So then, no pressure if you don't want to experience everything Revelation has to offer. Unless you're a hardcore completionist, of course, in which case it sounds like you're going to have your work cut out for you come its release in April.

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation director says "open-world fatigue" is real, and since "the world is even bigger than it was in Rebirth," Square Enix specially focused on guiding players.

The Highwind floats above the world. Yuffie Kisaragi dives out of the airship, party in tow, and falls through the air with a keen speed before I unleash her parachute, softening our hero's descent into the rich wilderness of Mideel. It's immediately apparent that if we thought Rebirth was big, Final Fantasy 7 Revelation is overwhelmingly enormous.

There's something strange about the Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy. The numerous differences from the original 1997 title make it almost entirely new, and yet it's easy to feel at home in its many locations, from Sector 7 to Gongaga. The same sensation floods my senses as I tear through feral beasts, before encountering a chubby baby Chocobo.

Not my home but I know my way around

Aware of the limited time available during my hands-on preview session at Gamescom 2026, I fast travel back to the Highwind, and set sail from the skies above Mideel for Wutai. I'm playing as Yuffie after all, and I'm told this section of Chapter 4 is dependent on my visiting her homeland to progress the story. I must admit I didn't really expect to just fly straight over to the place myself – I anticipated a cutscene – but the open world exploration is seamless as I guide the vessel before sending Yuffie back to the deck for another Fortnite-esque descent into the land below, something director Naoki Hamaguchi confirms is an intentional display of "inspiration".

Again, I'm staggered to feel immediately at home in Wutai, but this feeling tracks with the developer's design ethos. "Everything in the game has to feel both nostalgic and new at the same time" Hamaguchi tells me, explaining the need to deliver what fans know but with enough change to maintain player interest. He also clarifies that any big changes have to be made by the original FF7 creators.

One particular change I inquire about is the manner of Aerith's demise in Rebirth, and by inquire I mean demand an apology from Hamaguchi-san. He laughs and tells me "so sorry" but I press him on the matter, producing more laughter from the veteran gamemaker. He then tells me "You need to experience what happens in the very end. You may change your opinion then."

Similarly, piloting the Highwind to named locations and then descending via parachute is an important part of leveling up the experience of Revelation from Rebirth. "The way you explore the world is all tied to that vertical element," Hamaguchi states, and the effect is a sense of scale so grand I have to fight off choice paralysis with every fiber of my being.

Hamaguchi touches on the size of the game, saying "I'm pretty sure that Revelation has at least the same – and probably actually even more – content in it than Rebirth had, and it's all good content." He also adds that he's aware some players were overwhelmed by the amount in Rebirth, but feels "having that huge amount of content is part of what makes the game so appealing."

Another standout component of my preview session is the lack of Cloud and Tifa, with the roster of available characters instead sporting Cid, Vincent, Cait Sith, Barret, Red XIII, and the aforementioned Yuffie. Having been struck by Aerith being a key focal point of Rebirth, I ask Hamaguchi if we can expect the light to shine more on Yuffie or other characters in Revelation.

"Cloud is still the main character," he asserts, before explaining that the team know some players "want to see more of the other characters too, so we very much wanted to have content that goes into each of those characters," which, as a card-carrying member of the Zack Fair Appreciation Society, is music to my ears. This includes such options as completing side quests with different characters depending on your preferences, as well as the more simple but equally satisfying ability to swap out party members on the fly.

It's been one of the great joys of my time with Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth that I've been able to revel in the company of Cloud's companions. Don't get me wrong, I really love the moody merc and his big beautiful blues, but the added depth to Tifa, Aerith, and many others has resulted in a richer narrative experience.

Not all new content is perfect though, as proven by the mere existence of Chadley, and I'm alarmed by multiple interruptions from MAI, the AI entity created by the precocious young scientist. This apparently feminine-presenting version of Chadley eagerly bombards me with available side quests the moment I set foot in a new place, and it's agonizing given my preview slot is an hour. I'm hopeful Mai will feel less invasive when I'm able to play the game at leisure, but something tells me 2027's Most Annoying Sidekick Award is already en route to Square Enix HQ.

Those Who Fight Further

Throughout my session I enjoy multiple battles. In addition to Yuffie and her fast-flowing combos, I try out Vincent Valentine, whose ranged-based fighting style feels more safety-conscious yet no less satisfying. Then I give Cid Highwind a go, and he swings a spear-type edge weapon with a blend of elegance and brutality that feels perfect for hacking through Wutai's wildlife.

With the ability to mix up the party frequently, I'm eager to see what each combination of fighters will bring, especially now Tifa has appeared as a Black Mage in promotional materials, and other jobs in the FITS system are available too.

Upon arrival at Wutai a cutscene plays out – which I won't spoil – where it dawns on me how incredible a performer Suzie Yeung really is. The Persona 3 Reload actor delivers an expressiveness that virtually propels Yuffie through the screen, which seems fitting given Wutai introduces the ability to use a grappling hook for traversal.

Zipping between rooftops, I find my way to the Happy Turtle bar and restaurant after photographing a cat and having a quick swim in the sparkling waters that surround the traditional Japanese-inspired architecture of Yuffie's homeland. As I walk through the grand building, I strike up a conversation I never get to hear as the session ends.

Now I'm left wondering what the NPC was going to say, what the other areas in the preview build had to offer, and what the unaccounted for characters were getting up to during this section of the game. Above all I wonder how Naoki Hamaguchi and Square Enix so masterfully manage to weave nostalgia into something so obviously new in so many ways. Maybe I'll never truly understand but, if I am able to, it won't be until Final Fantasy 7 Revelation releases on April 8, 2027.

If this is far from your final adventure, check out our games like Final Fantasy recommendations, or our best RPGs and best JRPGs ranking for more to play next!

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation director Naoki Hamaguchi has apologized for what happens to Aerith in Rebirth, but if you're still upset about it, he insists you stick around to the end of the remake trilogy, because you might just "change your opinion."

Before we get into it, please take this as your final – very obvious – spoiler warning for the events of Final Fantasy 7 and Rebirth's ending. I'd be shocked if you didn't know what we were about to get into by now, but don't say I didn't warn you if you didn't.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth might have gone about things slightly differently to the OG 1997 JRPG, but one unfortunate fact remains – Aerith dies at the hands of Sephiroth. Ouch. It's arguably made even worse by the fact that, for a brief moment, it looks like things are about to pan out very differently, but alas.

Speaking to Hamaguchi in an interview at Gamescom 2026, GamesRadar+'s James Daly tells the lead how upset he still is about what happened to Aerith, prompting a big laugh. "I hope you have some expectations towards what the final outcome is, though, and I hope you can look forward to seeing what actually happened," Hamaguchi first teases, via interpreter.

He then directly offers an apology himself: "So sorry!" Gotta be honest, though, I'm not sure how sorry he is based on how hard he's laughing.

This comes up again towards the end of the interview, at which point Hamaguchi suggests something rather interesting. After another laugh, he hints: "I mean, really, you need to experience what happens in the very end. You may change your opinion."

Obviously, he's not going to elaborate on what he's referring to at this point, but could there be a glimmer of hope there for Aerith fans? Perhaps, or perhaps not. All will be revealed when Final Fantasy 7 Revelation launches on April 8 next year.

Square Enix's "graphical goal" for Final Fantasy 7 remakes was 2005 spin-off film Advent Children as it's the "ideal version" of the 29-year-old JRPG.

Various new games – and I mean various – have reportedly suffered countless spoilers thanks to a Steam leak that's seen their achievements go entirely public.

From Kingdom Hearts 4 to Persona 6 to Silent Hill: Townfall to… well, you name it, there's a downright plethora of titles seemingly affected by the massive leak on Valve's platform.

You can find lists of every game (and their achievements, be warned) on online forums and websites like Twitter – and it's all so big it's nearly mind-blowing. They're all live on achievement tracker site Exophase, too, but I'd once again caution checking anything out in too much detail.

Not only does the leak apparently expose a load of upcoming games' achievements, but it also lifts the veil on many "unannounced" titles, as users point out in a social media thread on the whole debacle.

There's an "unannounced Dune game" in there, an "unannounced Twin Peaks game," and even a dang "unannounced Shrek 2 Remaster" mentioned, y'all… and, erm… Penis Bird? Put simply, it's one heck of a leak – and not just of games we knew about.

So, how did this all happen in the first place? Well, it seems to boil down to an API error that isn't exactly new to Steam. For anyone who might not know what that means (because I certainly didn't), API stands for application programming interface, and it's essentially a set of rules that allows software programs to communicate.

Exophase owner "x3sphere" has described it a bit over on ResetEra, confirming what happened.

"I am the owner of the site and this is what appears to have happened," he writes. "Seems like a possible screw up on Valve's end, a bunch of games with achievements that should be private are accessible through the API right now and that's why they got scanned into the site. I usually never see games without an actual name pop up with achievements, yet over the past hour or so a bunch have."

Oof.

Valve has yet to respond itself, but I'm not sure it will aside from remedying the apparent private information from each game. As for studios like Sega and Square Enix which have seemingly seen their unreleased games go a bit more public, I doubt we'll hear anything, either.

So, there you have it – you can go explore the findings yourself if you're interested it, but after taking a peek at the alleged Persona 6 achievements myself, I can say I sort of wish I hadn't.

Spoilers, spoilers everywhere… and I shan't be sharing them here.

Kingdom Hearts 4 script "almost twice as big" as KH3's, Tetsuya Nomura says: "There were more parts that I wanted to include, but I was already pushing it."

If there's one thing to know about me, it's that I can't resist a creature-collecting RPG. Despite that, the Dragon Quest Monsters spin-off series has somehow always managed to pass me by. But, with less than an hour played of Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World, I already know that I'm not going to let myself miss out for any longer come its December launch.

Dragon Quest games are never lacking in charm, and The Withered World is immediately full of it. Guided by a cute companion creature known as Fluffy, I'm quickly acquainted with the concept of befriending and battling with monsters and given a personality quiz to determine my first ally. Fluffy decides I'd be a perfect match for a Woebergine – the name speaks for itself. Not sure how I feel about that, to be honest, but it sure is cute, so I'll take it.

Befriend 'em all

After this, I make quick work of recruiting all the nearby monsters I can – I've completed too many Pokedexes in my career to waste time here. You can attempt to 'scout' a monster at any time during battle by using a 'show of force,' but as genre veterans will expect, it's more likely to work if you've weakened them first. I also find out the hard way that failing to scout a monster can leave you unable to try again in the same battle – you can't approach it like Pokemon where you can just toss as many Pokeballs as you like until one works – something I'm glad I discovered in the game's opening section rather than later on when a rarer, more desirable monster was on the line.

I say 'more desirable,' but right from the start, there are plenty of loveable creatures to encounter. I can't overstate how delighted I am to encounter a Fat Rat, who – you're not gonna believe this – is a rather rotund rodent. Very early on, I also run headfirst into a battle with a 'super strong enemy' – a Drakularge (shocker, a big dragon) – which immediately one-shots my entire team. Clearly, some things are meant to be returned to later.

With over 500 monsters to tame, you're not just limited to scouting new allies in battles to expand your collection, either. In a different section of my hands-on, I'm given free rein of The Withered World's synthesis system. A returning feature, synthesis allows you to merge two of your monsters together to form a new one, allowing you to pass on things like abilities in the process – think breeding for perfect IVs and Egg Moves in Pokemon.

Before synthesizing, you're shown what monster you're going to get, including whether or not they'll be a special monster. Some of the pairs and their outcomes make more sense than others – blending a Slime and Platypunk gives me a special Mottle Slime, for example, which half tracks, unlike my Skeleton and Platypup producing a Guaardvark – but I know the countless combinations here are going to have me constantly coming back for more to see what possibilities my monsters hold.

While it'd be difficult to form a real bond with anything in under an hour – especially with the knowledge that I'll be leaving it behind me in a room at Gamescom, never to be seen again – my main takeaway from my time with Dragon Quest: The Withered World is that I'm going to adore whatever my team of monsters ends up being. The punny names, the cute designs, the fact that your ragtag team follows you around as you explore the world – everything is designed to be as endearing as possible, and by god, it's working. I will do whatever it takes to raise my Cruelcumber to be a strong, reliable ally, and fight proudly by their side – whatever The Withered World's story has in store for me, well, that's just a bonus.

On your own quest to play more like this? Check out out best JRPGs ranking, or our games like Pokemon recommendations!

Final Fantasy Resonance's director says the upcoming throwback JRPG is part of a "resurgence" of turn-based games, though one that still has plenty of fresh ideas.

Wrapping up a chat with RPG Site at PAX, director Hiroto Furuya says we're in the middle of a "resurgence of turn-based RPGs and JRPGs" – which sounds pretty darn good to me. And if that sounds pretty darn good to you, the Final Fantasy Resonance devs hope the Final Fantasy Brave Exvius refresh might be of interest.

"Looking at the recent wave of things globally, it seems there's a resurgence of turn-based RPGs and JRPGs," he says. "It is kind of like being re-examined once more.

"We consider Final Fantasy Resonance as one aspect of that overarching wave or trend. I think there is something to note about the appeal of classic RPGs, and the fun of classic RPGs, really. We're trying to capture that through Final Fantasy Resonance – but not stop at that.

"We wanted to ensure that we're delivering a new experience, a new title, to audiences all around the world."

Having played the demo myself, I can see part of what Furuya means. Final Fantasy Resonance is very much playing the hits – you've got crystals, chocobos, and a mixture of magic and machinery. More to the point, though, there's a turn-based battle system with some deeper series cuts. There's an order to who moves next, but filling a foe's stagger meter shakes that up – and ensures you'll get a window to deal increased damage.

What I've most enjoyed, though, is that the visuals and action are really dialed up to 11. The art style remains the HD-2D style popularized by Octopath Traveler, though cutscenes, both mid-fight and in-story, really deliver a sense of spectacle.

Of course, when Furuya talks about the trend of turn-based RPGs and JRPGs, it goes beyond what Square Enix has managed to accomplish with the Octopath series and other HD-2D remakes. Atlus has been holding down that fort for a while with the likes of Persona and Metaphor: ReFantazio, and genre love letter Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has won so many awards it's hard to ignore. Speaking of awards, the J'RPG is only really rivaled in recent times by Baldur's Gate 3. I'm starting to think there's something to these turn-based games.

Final Fantasy Resonance appeals to my inner child like no RPG since Chrono Trigger.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake series director Naoki Hamaguchi is to thank for each member of the party having access to all of the FITS jobs from the start in Final Fantasy 7 Revelation.

As we approach the end of Final Fantasy 7's remake trilogy, Square Enix is introducing one of the biggest overhauls to the game in its third act. FITS is a new system which works as a job system seen in games like Final Fantasy 5, 12, and Tactics which in turn will allow you to tailor your characters to specific archetypes, with four available to be equipped.

During a PAX West 2026 panel (via Game8) Hamaguchi reveals that the original plan was to have each character unlock FITS throughout the game as unlocks for getting through specific milestones. So for example (my own, not Hamaguchi's), Tifa could be unlocked with Black Mage, Barrett gets Knight, and you would need to unlock the other classes with each. However, Hamaguchi says this is something he personally overruled, meaning once FITS is unlocked, each party member will have access to all four jobs.

However, FITS, true to its name, will also come with unique costumes for each character for every job, which brings back the eternal style vs usefulness quandary that every RPG player has faced some point in their life. Do I go with what looks the best, or do I go with the most efficient set?

Hamaguchi also announces that the team has included a skin system to the game separate from the FITS. So, if you want Tifa in her classic outfit compared to the loose sleeves look we've seen her donning during gameplay footage, you'll be able to do so. Perhaps even more excitingly, Hamaguchi says there will be bonus skins unlocked from side content throughout the game too, which hopefully means we'll get some good fanservice fits like Cloud and Tifa's Advent Children outfits or Yuffie and Cid's Kingdom Hearts looks.

Square Enix wants to turn Final Fantasy 7 into "an IP with an ever-evolving future" beyond the FF7 Remake trilogy.

Square Enix turned to Final Fantasy 7 spin-off film Advent Children to inform how the remake trilogy should look, partly because the developers believed fans found it to be the "ideal vision" of the OG JRPG.

As part of a PAX West panel that delves into how the trilogy was designed, Final Fantasy 7 Revelation director Naoki Hamaguchi explains why Advent Children was the "graphical goal."

"For many fans, we can say that Advent Children is remembered as an ideal vision of Final Fantasy 7," he says. "So, we wanted to bring the appeal of that visual piece to life as a game that gamers themselves could experience."

As a slide further explains, Square Enix wanted to 'gamify' the film experience so fans of the flick could experience its visual quality and atmosphere – obviously, in a more immersive way. A big reason is that devs believed the film "set a new standard" for Final Fantasy 7 in terms of character expression, especially in Cloud and Sephiroth's appearance, movement, and presence.

Naturally, part of the reason that Final Fantasy 7 Remake could look like Advent Children, despite being a game, is that the latter came out in 2005, so the capability of gaming graphics had plenty of time to advance. Still, it's an interesting visual reference. While the OG Final Fantasy 7 is as old as the hills, Cloud and the gang have appeared elsewhere in the years following that, offering a glimpse of what they might look like with an update.

Perhaps our closest was the opening scene, remade for the PS3 to showcase its graphical capabilities. To the great sadness of many, it was merely a tech demo and not an actual remake reveal, but the vibe was there. Additionally, Cloud has appeared in plenty of other fighting games, both Square Enix-led and not, which gave us a hint of what he could look like in an updated game. For years, a Final Fantasy 7 remake was merely a wishlist item for fans, not something Square Enix would commit to for a while.

How times change. Still, it's nice to see another reference to wider Final Fantasy 7 media, which Square Enix hasn't been shy of making, especially when it comes to what Final Fantasy 7 Revelation might include from the series broader offering – not just its visual style and quality. We will, of course, see what all of that includes when Final Fantasy 7 Revelation releases on April 8, 2027.

Square Enix wants to turn Final Fantasy 7 into "an IP with an ever-evolving future" beyond the FF7 Remake trilogy.

Square Enix just gave fans their most in-depth look at Final Fantasy 7 Revelation in motion yet during today's PlayStation State of Play, confirming an April release date and post-launch story DLC, but there was one detail JRPG diehards just can't get over: the showcase demonstrated cutscenes you can speed up. That's it. That's the controversy.

I know, I know, it's completely uncharacteristic for a community of online JRPG fans to dramatize a completely optional and seemingly harmless feature in a game like Final Fantasy 7, but alas, one Twitter user reacted to the news by proclaiming, "games are truly dead." That post has 1.7 thousand likes and a handful of comments largely in agreement. "They really did make a mode for larpers that watch YouTube videos at 2X speed," reads one such reply.

Now, to be fair, this particular reaction was in response to Square Enix advertising the fast-forward feature, and after reviewing that part of today's showcase, it definitely stuck me as a bit odd that it was such a focus. But I'll go out on a limb and say that games are probably not truly dead just yet, at the very least, not because Final Fantasy 7 Revelation has cutscenes you can speed up... just like Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth before it.

I will definitely concede that it's a weird look, and, if you look at it a certain way, it's even mildly insulting to Revelation's writers, since Square Enix is explicitly putting its fast-forward button on display instead of their work in a big trailer. But I do think the feature itself is on the same level as skippable written dialogue, which has been a thing in video games forever. I'll even put myself at great risk in comments sections by admitting I find it deeply annoying when dialogue can't be sped up. Still, everyone's entitled to their own unique feelings on this sort of thing, and I seem to be in the minority by simply not really caring all that much.

"look i'm excited about this game, but this functionality is absolutely an admission of defeat imo," reads a Bluesky post from Into the Aether host Brendon Bigley.

"okay i'm sorry but the 1.5x speed watching brainrot has gone too far if we're now doing playback speed for video game dialogue," says Game Informer video editor Eric Van Allen.

My best guess as to why Square decided to put fast-forwardable cutscenes on display today is that it was a response to the years of complaints about length and bloat in the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy. These are massive games that demand a commensurate time commitment, and I'm assuming the fast-forward option is Square's answer to that feedback, whether it's appropriate or not.

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation's physical edition comes on "one disc," and yes, there's a mandatory download before you can play.

Square Enix has detailed the Final Fantasy 7 Revelation Collector's Edition, and I hope you've got $350 to spare.

Over on the Square Enix store website, the publisher confirmed the contents and price for the Final Fantasy 7 Revelation Collector's Edition. To get the bad news out of the way, it's going to be $350, which already puts it on the high end for collectors editions – barring the really ridiculous ones. This is made even worse for the UK; it's going to be £350 even though that's not how conversion rates work at all (£350 roughly translates to $472).

But what are you getting for all of that? Obviously, the game itself, alongside the Deluxe Edition content which is set to feature two DLC expansions – one featuring Sephiroth and another starring Vincent and the Turks. On top of that, the Deluxe Edition features a CD mini-soundtrack, a hardcover artbook, and an exclusive steelbook with art from all three games in the trilogy. Each physical edition comes with a Magic: The Gathering card titled Final Showdown, too.

As for the Collector's Edition itself? You're getting the physical deluxe edition, and a separate box featuring the only exclusive addition. This is a statue featuring Cloud, Zack, and Sephiroth (who are 6.7 in, 7.1 in, and 7.9 inches tall, respectively), all posing with their weapons next to each other.

This collector's edition is only available for console players, with Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X|S, and PS5 being the only options. So if you want to play the game on Steam, you might have to grab a console copy to get this statue.

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation includes more spin-off characters, Naoki Hamaguchi says, and devs "thought really hard" about including more compilation references for the trilogy's finale.

Before Final Fantasy 14 gets its hotly anticipated new expansion Evercold, Square Enix has one final update in store with fresh Dawntrail content: Patch 7.56.

Patch 7.56 is set to arrive next Tuesday on September 8, bringing the series of Patch 7.5x updates to a close – and, of course, Dawntrail's bigger post-launch content.

Harboring the limited Beastmaster job, new main scenario quests, and much, much more, it's one heck of a release ahead of Evercold… a release that might just lead into the upcoming expansion itself with the introduction of a strikingly familiar pink-haired Miqo'te.

If you've seen the Evercold trailer, then you likely recognize Visna, the mysterious cat girl with icy eyes and a freckled face – something we don't even get to truly apply to our own Warriors of Light (yet, anyway).

Interestingly enough, Square Enix just updated its official media webpage for Patch 7.5, including Patch 7.56, of course, with new screenshots… and Visna herself appears in one of them, implying she'll be in-game before Evercold.

Not only that, but she seems to be donning a crossbow of sorts on her back – and, you know, that's pretty eye-catching, seeing as there are two new jobs coming in Evercold and we only know about the tank class so far: the Bastion.

Could the DPS underway be a crossbow wielder or something in that vein? Well, the image is certainly proving enough to spur all kinds of theories online.

Just take a look at Reddit, for one.

In response to a fan noting their surprise at "the Miqo'te NPC from the Evercold trailer" seemingly being introduced in Patch 7.56 and asking "she definitely can't be the new job, right," another explains that she might just be.

"You can actually spy a crossbow on her back," they write. "So it might actually be the new job." Further down, somebody else points out that Visna is holding a "wand" of sorts, too.

They suggest "the job will have crossbow and wand offhand and you carve runes with the wand which then grant either weaknesses/special attacks that either the crossbow or your bird can attack."

The "bird" they reference here likely stems from the popular theory that the new DPS class is a falconer of some flavor – but who knows? It's all just speculation for now, but it is intriguing to see the girl in Patch 7.56 screencaps… and her "weapon," if that's what it is.

We'll learn more next week, come Patch 7.56 and its shenanigans. There is the Beastmaster job to look forward to as well as more questing and the like, so it's not all mystery.

Magic: The Gathering swiftly learns the power of Final Fantasy 14 as a mommy cat lady overtakes its most popular commander card

Update: A big caveat has just come to light about Final Fantasy 7 Revelation's physical edition. On PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, the RPG will come on a single disc, and you'll have to endure a mandatory download before you can play the game.

This was confirmed in an official Square Enix announcement, which details that both versions come on "one disc" and in each case "an internet connection is required to download additional game data in order to play the physical version of the game."

It's not unusual for physical games to require additional downloads before you can play these days, but up until now the Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy had been a notable exception to that trend. Both of the previous two games launched in multi-disc packages, which included all the data needed to play without any additional download. I'm glad that Revelation is still coming on disc, but I am disappointed that Square Enix is scaling back its commitment to physical collectors for the final piece of the trilogy.

Original story: It's official: Final Fantasy 7 Revelation will be released physically alongside the digital launch on April 8, 2027. The game's launch is coming well before Sony's planned 2028 cutoff for physical PlayStation discs, but director Naoki Hamaguchi had previously been cagey on the topic of a physical release. Yet I guess there was no reason to worry.

Square Enix confirmed the news in a tweet. "The promise has been made," the post begins. "Final Fantasy VII Revelation launches both physically and digitally on April 8, 2027."

That line about a "promise" is certainly intended as a tagline referring to the end of the trilogy, but it has an extra air of sincerity for collectors who've already added the first two parts to their shelves.

Both previous parts of the remake trilogy launched on disc, and some people – hi, it's me, I'm some people – even own those discs multiple times over thanks to a multi-gen release of the first game. I'm upset about discs going away for a wide variety of reasons, but it's at least nice to know I won't have to keep an empty box on my shelf where Revelation should go.

There's one big caveat for Nintendo collectors, however. As with previous releases of the remake trilogy on Switch 2, this one will come on a game-key card. Can't win them all, I guess.

Plenty of additional info on Final Fantasy 7 Revelation dropped alongside today's State of Play trailer, too. We've got an April release date, confirmation of two story DLC expansions, and a $350 collector's edition featuring more inches of Sephiroth than any of us can reasonably deal with.

Here are all the new games for 2026 and beyond you need to know about.

As much as I enjoy the high-fidelity visuals and real-time combat available in Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth, I'll always be a sucker for a pixel-art, turn-based RPG. Clearly, Square Enix also understands this timeless appeal because the publisher is on course to release Final Fantasy Resonance this year and, after playing it at Gamescom, it's now my most anticipated new game this year.

With its HD-2D aesthetic blending 2D sprites with 3D environments, Final Fantasy Resonance brings to mind games like Octopath Traveler, and instantly feels familiar if you're well-versed in classic RPGs. You roam around the world before the screen shatters and a battle begins, inputting commands and watching them play out in a sequence as you whittle down enemy health bars. However, Resonance isn't without a unique twist.

An RPG with Vision

The party I get to play with is made up of four original characters, with a variety of skills and elemental affinities, including Rain who deals melee damage with vigor, and Fina who boasts great healing spells. However, I'm most struck by the fact each hero has a Vision; a spirit character who supports them by sharing powers in combat. I'm told some Visions are new while many others are familiar faces from the Final Fantasy franchise, which makes sense as I'm staring at Cloud Strife from FF7.

These spirit friends, reminiscent of the Stands from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and the equipable characters in Fire Emblem Engage, can be unlocked by beating in-game dungeons known as Sanctums. Once selected, they diversify each party member's repertoire by adding new spells, increasing your options in battle.

Visions are most noteworthy when performing Resonance attacks – special moves that can be used once all enemies are staggered (denoted by a separate gauge to their health). Once their postures are broken, you can hit them with the titular flashy attack for huge damage.

However, if your character's Vision gauge is full, you can perform a Sweeping Resonance for even greater effect. I start off using Cloud's jaw-dropping Sweeping Resonance, the HD-2D graphics giving way to gorgeous, fully-rendered 3D models as Cloud furiously slashes through enemies.

Similarly, when The Warrior of Light from the OG Final Fantasy manifests in full 3D and brings destruction upon my enemies, I feel a giddy thrill that appeals to my inner child more than an ice-cold glass of Dr Pepper.

The combination of visual styles isn't the only way Final Fantasy Resonance so lovingly blends old and new. Being a classic-style RPG, the developer hasn't shied away from grinding as an in-game mechanic. That might put some players off, but you can toggle the speed of encounters to effectively half the time required to level up your party and Visions. It's a simple feature, but the difference it can make should not be underestimated.

In addition, my preview's dungeon comes complete with useful checkpoints for fast travel and resting, which are modern staples that I always appreciate. It also helps that the item names are all instantly recognizable to Final Fantasy veterans, from Hi-Potions to Phoenix Downs, creating a sense of familiarity that maintains momentum.

This isn't to say that nostalgia is vital to enjoying Final Fantasy Resonance. The turn-based combat is layered and exciting, and the pixel art shimmers like a California sunset. But to those of us of a certain vintage (old enough to have played those older pixel RPGs at launch, as well as catch the Jamiroquai reference in the last sentence), this game channels the era when Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy 6 captured our hearts while still keeping our feet firmly planted in the here and now. It's a masterstroke and only Square Enix could have managed it.

Resonate with this preview? Then check out our best Final Fantasy games ranking or our best JRPGs list for more to play next!

Square Enix has confirmed that Final Fantasy 7 Revelation is going to release on April 8, 2027

The new PlayStation State of Play trailer for Final Fantasy 7 Revelation focused on the party members, with new looks at Cid and Vincent, who round out the original cast of Final Fantasy 7 characters featured in the original game. Not only that, but we got a new look at some of the areas featured in the final chapter, like Yuffie's home of Wutai.

More importantly, however, Square Enix confirmed exactly when we'll be playing Final Fantasy 7 Revelation: April 8, 2027, which is almost exactly seven years after the release of Final Fantasy 7 Remake on April 10, 2020.

Square Enix followed up this trailer with a deep-dive into the gameplay of Final Fantasy 7 Revelation, showing some of the open-world gameplay and the party channeling their inner Fortnite as they dive off the battle bus-flavored Highwind. We also saw some of the new traversal mechanics once you are off the Highwind, with Yuffie using a grapple gun to get around Wutai.

On top of that, you're also to choose your main character in the open world, with the player no longer locked to playing as Cloud. This extends into the side quests too, as Square showed off that these can play out differently depending on which character you choose to take the quest on as.

All that is to say, Square Enix heard that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth was too big for some, and seems to have made it even bigger for Revelation.

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation includes more spin-off characters, Naoki Hamaguchi says, and devs "thought really hard" about including more compilation references for the trilogy's finale.

Final Fantasy Resonance, the first Final Fantasy game presented in Square Enix's HD-2D style, is getting a demo later today, September 3.

Though announced at today's PlayStation State of Play live show, the Final Fantasy Resonance demo is expected on all platforms, which also includes Xbox, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC (Steam).

The demo is unavailable and unlisted at the time of writing. A PlayStation trailer confirms that the demo covers "the entire first chapter" of the game, with progress carrying over to the full game if you decide to buy in.

The trailer gives us a look at Sephiroth as he appears in the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy – and, more importantly, Resonance's giant, pixel art, boss fight Sephiroth.

Sephiroth is the latest Final Fantasy icon to get the HD-2D treatment courtesy of Resonance. A suite of characters make combat cameos in summon-like Resonance attacks, with the likes of Final Fantasy 10's Tidus and Final Fantasy 7's Cloud already shown.

The HD-2D style was pioneered by Octopath Traveler then refined in the likes of the Dragon Quest remakes and, per our The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales review, some more recent outings. Resonance is both the next Final Fantasy game and the first entry to adopt this art style – and, somewhat confusingly, also technically a remake of Final Fantasy Brave Exvius.

Final Fantasy Resonance itself will be released next month on October 22.

Resonance returns to turn-based combat and random encounters, with producer Keisuka Nakashima arguing that the system allows for "truly memorable" battles.

The game exists largely because Nakashima and other Brave Exvius developers felt that the once-gacha-driven game is "too good to become unplayable" after its global end of service in 2025. As someone who's wanted a turn-based, HD-2D Final Fantasy ever since Octopath Traveler was released, I'm excited to see if

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation boss is "very much aware" you hate Chadley for being a socially inept doofus, but he will soon have "a very integral part" in the story anyway.

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation director Naoki Hamaguchi knows exactly what you were thinking as you played the existing two installments of the remake trilogy: get this robot pee pee pants Chadley off my screen now and forever, I banish thee. But you're going to have to try to adopt a more positive mindset. The unhelpful assistant humanoid Chadley is returning for Final Fantasy 7 Revelation, due in 2027, and Hamaguchi teases that the golden-haired nuisance might be more critical to your story than ever before.

"I am very much aware of the reaction some fans in the community had to Chadley," Hamaguchi says to IGN through an interpreter at Gamescom 2026. So far, the gnat with a baby face hasn't proved himself as "a particularly important character to the story," Hamaguchi continues. "I am very much aware of that opinion." But it sounds like Final Fantasy 7 Revelation will try to change it.

"In the previous game, in Rebirth, [Chadley's] role is such [that he was] kind of a guide, a tutorial, to lead people into all of the side content," Hamaguchi explains, "but his role has actually changed for Revelation." The conclusion to the Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy will apparently contain "some scenes where he plays a very integral part, a strong role, in the main story itself."

Does this mean Chadley will finally learn how to read a room? The character was introduced for the first Final Fantasy 7 Remake part in 2020, simply because, Hamaguchi said at the time, "We wanted to include content in which [combat upgrades and modifier] materia could be obtained through mission rewards in parallel with the main story progression; considering lore, we came up with a role that would make him a researcher working for Shinra." As such, Chadley seemingly never had a reason to be pleasant to be around, and both he and Final Fantasy 7 trilogy players suffered for it.

Most recently, the lonely dweeb created an entire AI female version of himself, Mai, to increase his opportunities to talk to you. But though he created her, Mai hardly showed Chadley respect. That's no way for Chadley to live, and it's an unfortunate domestic scene for you to witness as an objective third party. What a miserable Chadley existence.

Anyway, Final Fantasy 7 Revelation will be the guy's last chance to act natural… or possibly even supernatural.

"I can't tell you right now whether he does become more powerful than Sephiroth or not," Hamaguchi says to IGN's joking question on the topic, "but you're going to have to see in the game. And I hope you look forward to finding out." OK, I won't.

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation includes more spin-off characters, Naoki Hamaguchi says, and devs "thought really hard" about including more compilation references for the trilogy's finale.

Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy overlord Naoki Hamaguchi can't believe he got to share the Gamescom stage with his hero, Geralt of Rivia – in spirit, at least, since developer CD Projekt Red used Opening Night Live 2026 to announce its unexpected The Witcher 3 refresh and expansion. And The Witcher 4 lead level designer Miles Tost feels the same way.

"The pleasure was ours," Tost writes in an August 26 Twitter reply to Hamaguchi. "Final Fantasy, especially 7 have a special place in my heart and I'm so happy I get to relive that through your and your team's hard work!"

Originally, Hamaguchi wrote on Twitter after Opening Night Live (ONL), "Sharing the final spotlight at ONL alongside The Witcher 3, one of my favorite games of all time, was a truly special moment for me.
It was a great honor to stand on the same stage as a game that has inspired me for so many years."

It's rare that you see developers as seemingly untouchable as Square Enix's Hamaguchi show that, in the cocoon of their living rooms, they're still fans who feel that knot of excitement forming each time a certain title screen comes up. It's nice!

Hamaguchi has always been generous in sharing his love for The Witcher franchise, though, spending the past few years emphasizing that The Witcher 3 is one of his major Final Fantasy 7 remake inspirations. In 2024, Final Fantasy producer Yoshinori Kitase even told fans that, while watching that year's Witcher 4 trailer at The Game Awards, "Hamaguchi was so excited when Ciri removed her hood, he almost stood up!"

So I'm especially glad for him to be at Gamescom this year, where he was also recently able to meet CD Projekt Red joint CEO Michał Nowakowski and show him some of Square Enix's upcoming Final Fantasy 7 Revelation. Hamaguchi says on Twitter about the experience, "It was a great honor to have Michał Nowakowski, Joint CEO of CD PROJEKT RED, stop by the Square Enix booth.

"Sharing the stage at ONL alongside The Witcher 3, one of my all-time favorite games, was already a special moment. Having Michał come by in person made it even more memorable.

"I was also very happy to tell him directly that The Witcher 3 continues to be one of the biggest inspirations for me as a game creator." Let us pray, now, for Hamaguchi's sake, that the new The Witcher 3 expansion Songs of the Past is just as sweet as he probably thinks it is when it launches in 2027.

Keep up with the entire Gamescom 2026 schedule.

Dragon Quest series creator Yuji Horii has spoken about how surprised he was by the overwhelming success of the series' third entry. After moderate success with the first two games, the third thrust the series into the spotlight in a way that Horii never expected.

In an interview with Famitsu that's been translated by GamesRadar+, Horii describes how he felt the series became a cultural phenomenon almost over night. "The first Dragon Quest was made in 1986, and two years later we made Dragon Quest 3," he says. "This was when it became a cultural phenomenon, but we were conscious that this might not last."

While Horii wasn't sure that the series would have the staying power, Dragon Quest has earned its status as cultural icon with the twelfth mainline entry in development, and dozens of spin-offs released. Dragon Quest 3 was truly the turning point for the series and it became impossible for Horii and his team to ignore the impact their game had.

"[DQ3's success] was completely unexpected," he explains. "Of course, I knew it had a chance [of being a hit] when we were making it, but I would have never believed that people would wait in line in order to buy it. I cycled out to Shinjuku to look at the queue, and everyone was lined up all night in the cold, and I remember thinking 'my bad'."

Despite queues reportedly up to 4km in length, Horii was apparently treated the same around the office. However, tensions were high when it was time to develop the next game in the series. "I was really worried about DQ4. Because DQ3 became such a cultural phenomenon, expectations for DQ4 were building up," he says.

Dragon Quest 7 was going to be an open-world game, series creator Yuji Horii says, but "the story fell apart" so the team had to "add some degree of order to it"

Kingdom Hearts series writer and director Tetsuya Nomura says the script for the upcoming fourth entry in the series is almost twice as long as the last numbered entry, and yet there were still more parts he wanted to include but was unable to.

In an interview with Famitsu that's been translated by GamesRadar+, Nomura talks about the voice actors and recording schedule for Kingdom Hearts 4. The Japanese voice cast is apparently already complete, while the English cast is reportedly 60 - 70% through their parts.

This is particularly impressive given Nomura's comments on the length of the script he wrote for the long-awaited game. "The size of the script for this game is almost twice as big as that of Kingdom Hearts 3, so this made the [voice] recording schedule really difficult," he explains.

Despite the increased length of the script compared to its predecessor, there were still parts Nomura wanted to add but had to cut for time. "There were more parts that I wanted to include, but I was already pushing it," he says.

While there will be more dialogue than in previous entries, that doesn't mean the game will be bigger or longer. In fact, in the same interview, the director says the game won't feature a large number of Disney worlds, so the team is being selective about the number of different settings they show.

Kingdom Hearts 4 "will be ready well before the release date," Tetsuya Nomura says, as the JRPG's development is going smoother than it has "in the history" of the series

Kingdom Hearts 4 leads Tetsuya Nomura and Tai Yasue are exceptionally confident that the game will meet its target of a 2027 release. The pair even make comments that development has been the smoothest in the series' history and that it will be ready well in advance.

The gaming industry is no stranger to delays, and when people have had to wait a particularly long time between games, it can be a blow to fans to see the release date pushed back. However, series director Nomura and co-director Yasue seem extremely confident that Kingdom Hearts 4 will make it out in time for its late-2027 release window.

In an interview with Famitsu, translated by GamesRadar+, the pair discuss the long-awaited fourth numbered entry's release date. "The team is very particular, sometimes they are more particular about things than even I am," says Nomura. "However, as I mentioned in the [D23] panel, the release window won't be delayed."

Yasue also chimes in with an update on development. "Progress is going smoother than it has in the history of the Kingdom Hearts series," he says. "I think you can rest assured about this." The pair have squashed rumors of a Kingdom Hearts 4 delay before, but this is the first time they've given such clear reasons for their confidence.

"It will be ready well before the release date," says Nomura. "We don't expect to even go into our buffer time. That's the reason I'm returning to Japan so quickly."

It's rare to see a release date given with such absolute confidence, so we can very much expect to see more from Sora before the end of 2027.

Disney isn't stopping with Kingdom Hearts 4 and a new anime, as "there are so many things we want to do" with the 25-year-old JRPG series

Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii has revealed that 2000's Dragon Quest 7 was originally intended to be a completely open-world game, but was reworked to have some order to exploration after the story apparently "fell apart."

In an interview with Famitsu that's been translated by GamesRadar+, Horii talks about the development of different games in the series. When it comes to one of the most popular games in the series, Dragon Quest 7, he explains that it was originally intended to have an open design before it was decided that the story needed more linearity.

Unlike the series' games that came before it, Dragon Quest 7 featured a much larger world spanning many continents, and with that came the idea of the protagonist discovering and building the world's map. The plan was for this to be done in any order, but the idea was quickly scrapped.

"Because collecting maps is at the center [of Dragon Quest 7], in the beginning the stone shards were scattered all over the world," Horii explains. "It wouldn't matter which stone shard you collected, you'd still be able to progress the story."

However, in the final game, there are many points where you need a specific shard to progress, and this was decided for plot purposes. "We tried it, but the story fell apart," he explains. "We had no choice but to add some degree of order to it. There are some stone shards that can be obtained before or after others, but the ones related to important plot points have some order to them."

If Horii and his team had pulled it off, Dragon Quest 7 wouldn't have been the first open-world game, but it would have been one of the biggest at the time.

Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii says AI "hardly ever makes things up" anymore, even if it once made up that he works for Nintendo

Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy director Naoki Hamaguchi says that the Gamescom announcements and trailer reveal for the final entry Final Fantasy 7 Revelation "marks the beginning" of fresh information about the game.

First unveiled at Summer Game Fest in June 2026, Final Fantasy 7 Revelation's Gamescom trailer is just the second released for the long-awaited game. However, Hamaguchi took to Twitter after the show to explain that the latest trailer is just the beginning of the game's upcoming announcements, with many more expected before the game's release early next year.

In the tweet, Hamaguchi says that the Opening Night Live trailer "marks the beginning of our information rollout," and continues that the team will "be sharing much more in the months ahead." While there is still plenty of time before Revelation's launch, we can expect a lot more information in the future.

The tweet is written in both English and Japanese and contains mostly the same information. The main difference between the two is that the English mentions information coming "in the months ahead," whereas the Japanese is vaguer about the time frame. However, distinctions like this are not uncommon, as Japanese is more contextual.

If you were titillated by the latest reveals from Gamescom, then it seems you will continue to eat well in the coming months.

Zack Fair has an even bigger role in Final Fantasy 7 Revelation, series director Naoki Hamaguchi says

Our new look at Final Fantasy 7 Revelation at Gamescom Opening Night Live was brief, but it did give us our first look at several of the finale's big Weapon fights. After months of speculation, Ruby Weapon, Emerald Weapon, and Ultima Weapon have all made their big debut, and these epic battles are looking spectacular so far.

We caught a brief glimpse of Emerald Weapon during a cutscene in Rebirth, but it appears the creature will play a much bigger role in Revelation, in line with the structure of the original game. Notably, the trailer shows what appears to be a real-time submarine fight against Emerald Weapon, which is certainly an expansion on its original appearance.

You can see all three creatures, and plenty more teasers on what to expect from Revelation, in the trailer below.

While the submarine did factor into the original Emerald Weapon fight in FF7, since it's how you reached the creature in the first place, there wasn't much in the way of direct combat aboard the vehicle. Director Naoki Hamaguchi previously alluded to the possibility of minigames at various points in these big fights, but he also told us that the main combat system would be "at the base" of the important battles. I'd say it's safe to expect that we'll be disembarking the sub to face Emerald Weapon directly by the end.

Notably, this is also our first look at Ultima Weapon (and yes, it's Ultima rather than Ultimate, as it's named in the original game). Fans were previously looking at free-to-play spin-offs for a potential hint at Ultima Weapon's design, but it looks like Revelation's take is a little different from that last iteration. We'll see it in full this spring.

Stay with us for more as the Gamescom 2026 schedule rolls on.

Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii admits he's a fan of AI and of how much it's evolved over the years, saying it "hardly ever makes things up" anymore. He made these comments after being asked about the Gemini-powered chatbot that was recently added to the series' MMO.

The Dragon Quest series is credited with having one of gaming's first AI systems: in 1990's Dragon Quest 4, the player could give party members general instructions, and the AI then selected actions for each one. However, the series' latest implementation of AI has been far less popular.

Dragon Quest 10, the series Japanese-exclusive MMO, recently launched its seventh and final expansion, Lost Children of Time and Space, with a divisive addition. The expansion included a companion called Oshaberi Slimey – literally talkative Slimey – one of Dragon Quest's iconic blue slimes in a jester's hat. However, fans were disappointed to hear that Slimey works by using a Google Gemini-powered chatbot.

In an interview with Famitsu that's been translated by GamesRadar+, Horii explains his choice to implement Slimey and his opinions on AI in general. "Because nowadays AI is really smart, it's fun," he says. "It doesn't matter what I ask it, it hardly ever makes things up [anymore]."

AI often has issues with factual accuracy, as it often gives users an answer even if it doesn't have the necessary information. The game designer who is most commonly associated with Square Enix has had a similar experience. "Quite some time ago I asked AI about myself and it said I was 'a Nintendo employee,'" he says with a laugh.

He goes on to defend AI by saying, "It's evolving, and lately there are a lot of things you can do with it. Slimey is a conversational partner, so I think it lowers the barrier of entry to interacting with AI."

Like Final Fantasy 7 Revelation boss, Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii worries live streams may not actually sell games: "Some people will be satisfied by just watching"

Dragon Quest creator and industry legend Yuri Horii says that he doesn't understand how live streaming games has become so popular, and he wonders if the practice helps advertise games or not. He believes that streaming fans are the result of a new type of light, or casual, gamer who just wants to see what a game is about without playing it themselves.

In an interview with Famitsu that's been translated by GamesRadar+, Horii discusses how much player tastes have changed when it comes to the types of experiences people seek out with games. He believes the gaming audience has split into two distinct categories: core gamers who want to know everything about their games, and casual gamers who skip through and want to finish quickly.

"In terms of more casual gamers, people have increasingly enjoyed game live streaming," Horii says. "In the past, just watching people play games all the time was not seen as a form of entertainment. Though saying that, I used to watch my friends play over their shoulders. But now live streaming has become really popular."

Displaying some truly powerful 'back in my day' energy, Horii admits that he doesn't understand the allure of watching someone else play a game over playing it yourself, even if the streamer adds interesting commentary. "It used to be unthinkable that the player would be the funny one and attract fans rather than the game," he says.

However, while the rise of live streaming means that developers now have a much bigger potential audience for their games, Horii is still unsure if it works as a marketing strategy. "It's really interesting to see how people play the games you made," he says. "But I don't know if it works as a marketing tool. Some people will be satisfied by just watching the live stream, and some will want to play after seeing it. I'm really not sure yet."

A similar sentiment was echoed earlier this year by Final Fantasy 7 Remake director Naoki Hamaguchi, who believes that streamers have changed gaming forever. He says that during development it's important to consider making games that people want to play rather than just watch.

Dragon Quest 9 has been trapped on the Nintendo DS for 17 years, and franchise creator Yuji Horii was "a little disheartened" to learn fans never wanted that.

Kingdom Hearts is celebrating its 25th anniversary next year with the release of Kingdom Hearts 4. While it doesn't have a release date yet, it was also revealed that a Kingdom Hearts animated series is in development for Disney's streaming platforms. However, this is apparently just the beginning of the franchise's plans, according to Disney's director of games, Nana Gadd.

In an interview with 4Gamer that's been translated by GamesRadar+, Gadd discussed the new Kingdom Hearts 4 trailer and anime announcement that were part of Disney's biennial fan convention D23. The series, which features a mash-up of Disney and Final Fantasy characters with original roles sprinkled in, is already known for its expansiveness, but it seems Disney is eager for more.

So far, Kingdom Hearts has been mostly focused on gaming, with over a dozen releases spanning a wide range of genres. While there are also manga and light novels, the majority of the fandom focuses on video games. However, with the announcement of the animated series, it's clear that Disney is hoping to expand.

"Even though Kingdom Hearts has been around for 25 years, there are so many things we want to do," says Gadd. "The announcement of the animated series is truly just the first step."

The franchise is already known for its complicated story, where you need to experience every piece of media just to have a hope of figuring it out. With that in mind, this statement has an exciting yet threatening aura.

Kingdom Hearts 4 features Pixar's Coco because Tetsuya Nomura thought it "would be the best world" for Sora's story

After three long decades, Terranigma is finally getting a modern re-release. The Super Nintendo JRPG, which was developed by Quintet and published by Enix in 1995, was never released in North America and had never been re-released on a later platform. But now, publisher Clear River Games is bringing the beloved classic to modern consoles and PC.

The new version of Terranigma will be released on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, Switch, Steam, and GOG in "early 2027," according to a press release.

Judging by the first trailer and Steam page, this will be a re-release that preserves the original game's look, feel, and gameplay – though the announcement notes that this version "thoughtfully adds to the original masterpiece, bringing a host of upgrades, tweaks and bonus features, designed to make the best, better still and provide an ideal point of entry for modern gamers."

Terranigma is an action RPG where you play as a boy who resurrects the Earth, charting its history from primordial evolution up through the modern day. Developer Quintet was known for Super NES classics like ActRaiser and Illusion of Gaia, and Terranigma is widely regarded as one of the best RPGs ever released on the platform. A shame, then, that its worldwide release was so limited.

Unlike many cult classic JRPGs, Terranigma actually was released outside of Japan – just not in North America. Nintendo published the game in Europe and Australia late in 1996, but by that time the gaming world was already obsessed with the newfangled 3D graphics of platforms like the PS1 and N64. Whatever plans might've existed for a North American version were dashed by the closure of Enix's US office, well before the Square merger, in late 1995.

Before the HD era largely standardized television formats worldwide, PAL TVs were fundamentally different from the NTSC televisions used in the US and Japan – most notably in the fact that they refresh 50 times per second instead of 60. That makes Terranigma's PAL-only release a problem for English-speaking players worldwide these days, since it runs at an improper speed that's out of line with the Japanese original.

Numerous fan patches and console mods have given RPG fans ways to play Terranigma over the years, but the rights situation around the game – with part of its ownership tied up with the original developers at Quintet, and part held by the modern Square Enix – meant that it had never gotten an official, modern port. And thus, there was never a way to officially play it in English at the intended 60Hz speed.

“I hope the themes of god and humanity, creation and destruction, and the atmosphere of the world itself resonate with today's players too," original artist Kamui Fujiwara says in the press release. "Not as a relic of the past, but as a living, breathing work. This moment has been long awaited and now it is finally here. I hope you will enjoy it with all your heart.”

Check out more of the best SNES games of all time.

Kingdom Hearts lead Tetsuya Nomura says that Pixar's Coco was chosen as a Disney world in Kingdom Hearts 4 as it was the best fit for Sora's story.

Speaking at the Kingdom Hearts D23 panel (via Genki_JPN on Twitter), after the reveal that The Land of the Dead from Pixar's Coco is the first Disney world featured in the upcoming Square Enix RPG Nomura spoke about world selections.

"Whenever I do have a chance to decide that we absolutely need to include a certain world. I generally think about how well it synergizes with overall the main story progression with Sora" he explains. And that with Kingdom Hearts 4, Nomura adds, "when I thought about the themes, we felt that Coco would be the best world that would help achieve that goal."

Spoilers for Kingdom Hearts 3 (and potentially 4, I guess) to follow.

Okay, so from my understanding as someone who has not played Kingdom Hearts 3 yet (I'm trying to make my way through all of the non-numbered entries between 2 and 3 as intended) Sora sort of dies at the end of the game by being banished from his reality, before awakening in the realistic world seen in trailers for Kingdom Hearts 4, this is known as the Quadratum, which acts as an afterlife.

Not only that, but fans speculate Sora has lost his memories in Kingdom Hearts 4, due to him fainting when seeing visions of Goofy and Donald. This then ties into the Coco world. The latest trailer opens with Hector explaining that people disappear from the afterlife when forgotten (like in the film), which seems like a pretty intentional thing to open with, especially if this theory is true.

Part of the reason the first Kingdom Hearts is my favourite in the series is mostly down to how much the Disney side was integrated into the main plot – which is something I've seen as a major complaint with Kingdom Hearts 3 – so if that's the case again with 4, it's certainly an exciting prospect. But at the same time, I really want the most esoteric crossovers possible to happen with Disney's massive library. Give me an Arlen, Texas world where Sora teams up with Hank and Bobby Hill to stop the heartless from taking over Strickland Propane, I beg of you.

Kingdom Hearts 4's Goofy and Donald are playable for the first time ever, and Mickey's Paper Mario-style sections are "very different from Sora's adventure"

Kingdom Hearts lore is extensive, convoluted, and confusing. I don't mean that as a dig – I am a Metal Gear fan, after all – but even after playing every game in the series, I've still got to read a half-dozen wiki pages and watch a few lore videos before I start remembering the specifics of any given plot beat. That's why I'm so impressed that Tetsuya Nomura and the rest of the devs have managed to remember a small, but key detail about Heartless behavior in Kingdom Hearts 4.

The first Disney world announced for Kingdom Hearts 4 is Pixar's Coco, In the recent D23 trailer, we see a pair of Heartless emerge and start creeping toward the film's protagonist, Miguel, who is the only living person in the vicinity – they completely ignore the other denizens of the Land of the Dead.

A couple of days after that trailer debuted, a Kingdom Hearts fan called Noir LilBomber tweeted a theory: "One thing me and my friends noticed in the kingdom hearts 4 trailer is that the heartless only appear to react to Miguel and not the other characters. This is in line with the Ansem report from KH1 that stated the heartless only react to LIVING test subjects."

This theory started getting shared pretty widely among the fandom, and yes, that detail goes back to Ansem's Report 4, which appeared in the first Kingdom Hearts game. "The Heartless appear in groups, and are multiplying rapidly. I've provided them both living and nonliving samples," the report goes. "They've responded only to the living."

This detail actually manifests in a more meaningful way in the OG game, too. When Sora and the crew first arrive in Halloween Town, the Heartless are basically inert, and don't attack the largely undead Nightmare Before Christmas characters there. It's only after Skellington and Dr. Finkelstein build an artificial heart for the Heartless to pine after that they turn violent.

So it's entirely consistent with established lore that the Heatless appearing in the Land of the Dead are only interested in the one living being they see: Miguel. Honestly, bravo to Nomura and the rest of the crew. I doubt many would've noticed if that detail was swept under the rug, but the devs are clearly committed to making sure even the most obscure bits of Kingdom Hearts lore live on in the long-awaited sequel.

These are the best RPGs you can play today.

Dragon Quest 9 was a Nintendo DS exclusive when it launched in 2009 – and it technically still is. Square Enix never set the RPG free, despite many of its fans' appetite for a remake, and it seems franchise creator Yuji Horii isn't worried about it – possibly because he's still hurting from fans' reactions to the DS game 17 years ago.

The RPG's emperor recently spoke to Japanese site Famitsu as Dragon Quest celebrated its 40th anniversary; Nintendo Everything translated a chunk of Horii's interview. In it, he discusses fans' response to Dragon Quest 9 being a Nintendo DS exclusive after experiencing the visual splendor of the first completely 3D Dragon Quest, Dragon Quest 8, in 2004. Their response was… not good.

"It made for interesting gameplay," Horii says about the Nintendo DS, "and I thought everyone would be surprised, but when we announced it, we had a lot of criticism, like 'What? On Nintendo DS?' At the time we were actually a little disheartened."

He explains that Square Enix was motivated to lock Dragon Quest 9 to the DS because its developers wanted "quick and easy play over local networks." He says that, "At that time there were not many games using local networks and it was difficult to do so. But with Nintendo DS, the moment you turn the power on you can connect with people."

Fans had been preparing themselves for Dragon Quest 9 to launch on technology with some muscle, the PS3 or Wii, maybe, as a contemporaneous Nintendo Life article suggests. So their jaws dropped through the floor and straight into Hell once Square Enix made the unprecedented announcement that, no, Dragon Quest 9 will be bound to the petite DS.

Forum discussions from around Dragon Quest 9's release reveal players' vitriol for the cute DS which I believe is innocent in all of this; it's not the console's fault it was made to be whimsical handheld and not a prehistoric Steam Deck. One 17-year-old thread on GameFAQs features players calling Dragon Quest 9 "really horrible" and "extremely boring."

But, with time, public sentiment started turning around. User Liamland says on a 12-year-old GameFAQs thread, "After playing [Dragon Quest 8] on the PS2, it would seem as if [Dragon Quest 9] on the NDS was a step down, from a graphics and sound standpoint. But ultimately the DLC content, multiplayer tag mode, and character flexibility of DQIX makes it arguably a better game than DQVIII."

"We thought that was an amazing system, and decided we wanted to make Dragon Quest 9 using that ability," Horii tells Famitsu. So Fans have grown to agree with him – though, they'd still really like it to be at least a little more free from the Nintendo DS.

"Is there any hope?" asks one Reddit thread wondering about the likelihood of a Dragon Quest 9 remake. The answer is, probably not – Square Enix has never spoken of it despite fans' incessant screams. After all this time, Dragon Quest 9's developers continue to be chased by the same problem: no one really wants Dragon Quest 9 to be exclusive to the Nintendo DS, and they never did.

RPGs like Dragon Quest 11 and Nier: Automata are heavily outsourced, Square Enix producer says, with surprisingly few devs in-house.

The official Kingdom Hearts social media accounts have paid tribute to American actor Hayden Panettiere, the voice behind Kairi in the earliest games in the RPG series, after her death at age 36.

Panettiere held numerous iconic roles throughout her career, both on screen and in video games. From Princess Dot in A Bug's Life to Kirby Reed in the Scream series, Sam in Until Dawn, and Kairi in Kingdom Hearts 1, 2, and Birth by Sleep (as well as Xion in Dream Drop Distance), she's had a massive impact on many franchises.

Now, the official Kingdom Hearts account on Twitter and Bluesky has paid tribute to Panettiere, sending condolences to her friends and family.

"We are deeply saddened by the passing of Hayden Panettiere," a statement begins. "Through her performance as Kairi, Hayden brought warmth, heart, and an unforgettable voice to the Kingdom Hearts series.

"Our thoughts are with her family, friends, and loved ones," it concludes.

Supermassive Games, the studio behind Until Dawn, has shared a similar sentiment, spotlighting her work in turning Sam "into one of horror gaming's most iconic final girls" in the 2015 game – one that'd go on to get a remake in 2024, as well as a movie adaptation last year.

"We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Hayden Panettiere," the devs say. "Hayden brought Sam to life in Until Dawn, shaping her into one of horror gaming's most iconic final girls. Our thoughts are with her friends, family, and our community. Rest in peace, Hayden."

After all the D23 reveals, we're finally starting to get a sense of what Kingdom Hearts 4 will look like, and series lead Tetsuya Nomura is already teasing further mysteries to be revealed. Apparently, the devs had an idea during the development of Kingdom Hearts 3 that's gone unrealized since that game launched in 2019, and they're finally getting to bring it to life in Kingdom Hearts 4. Personally? My money's on Star Wars.

During the Deep Dive into Kingdom Hearts panel at D23, which has been archived by YouTube channels like SpottinGames, the developers discussed the advantages of creating worlds based on general concepts rather than specific movie stories. Disney Town, for example, was an opportunity for the devs to build a world around the vibes of Toontown in Disneyland, with more freedom to define in-game world's layout and flow.

"Imagining something new based off of, solely, a certain type of concept certainly is something that's very fun and enjoyable," Nomura says. "It's also, in some ways, less daunting because there's no expectation of having to replicate something exactly as it is. It also gives us more freedom to incorporate a variety of gimmicks that we're thinking about. It's also a lot easier to incorporate from a narrative perspective, too. So it's a very versatile approach with many advantages."

Nomura took this opportunity to jump into a further tease for fans: "When it comes to the overall game design, for Kingdom Hearts 4 there's actually an idea that we had since Kingdom Hearts 3, that we weren't able to realize just because of certain difficulties. But we were able to realize that with this installment. For us, we think it's a very, very exciting idea and so I do hope people look forward to it."

Like I mentioned earlier, I'm convinced that this idea is one for a Star Wars world. The timing makes sense, as Kingdom Hearts 3 was the first major entry in the series to be released after Disney's acquisition of the property. Those hints at "certain difficulties" also line up, as Disney may have been a little more protective of Star Wars' image before 2019, when the franchise hadn't yet been the subject of multiple Fortnite collabs and other crossovers. Star Wars also presents a wide array of possibilities for unique in-game worlds that don't have to be tied to a specific set of characters from the films.

That, of course, is pure speculation on my part, but rumors of a Star Wars world have persisted since some of our earliest glimpses of Kingdom Hearts 4 in 2022, when a teaser appeared to show the foot of an AT-ST on the forest moon of Endor. I guess we've still got to wait a little bit longer to find out whether Sora is heading to that galaxy far, far away.

Kingdom Hearts 4 delay "is not happening," Tetsuya Nomura says after fans immediately doubt the RPG's late 2027 launch window: "I want to set the record straight."

Amid a deep sale and the biggest news drop for Kingdom Hearts 4 to date, the series collection became the top-selling paid game on Steam.

At last weekend's D23 event, Kingdom Hearts 4 got its biggest batch of new info to date with a new trailer that confirmed the first Disney world for the upcoming Square Enix RPG will be none other than The Land of the Dead from Pixar's Coco, with Miguel and Hector joining Sora's party. Alongside that, we got confirmation that we'll be able to play as Mickey, Donald, and Goofy in the game. Not to mention, there's a Kingdom Hearts anime series coming to Disney+.

Clearly, the hype from the series' massive fanbase was somewhat contagious, as the series' first collection, Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5+2.5 Remix (which collects four games and two games turned into movies), has been tearing it up on Steam. Helped along by a huge discount which brings the 1.5+2.5 collection down to $14.99 / £11.99, as well as a discount on Kingdom Hearts Integrum Masterpiece, which features fellow collection Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, and Kingdom Hearts 3 + Re Mind DLC for $29.99 | £25.49, giving you (almost) the entire franchise for under $30.

The hype and the sale have done wonders, as the series has skyrocketed over on Steam, as Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5+2.5 Remix has become the top-selling game on Steam (not counting free-to-play titles like Counter-Strike 2, Apex Legends, and Dota 2). And now begins the race to play every single one of those games before late 2027, because they all matter to the lore, and don't bank on a delay either, as Tetsuya Nomura says one is "not happening"

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In a promise that could fill ravenous Kingdom Hearts 4 fans with hope or simply age very poorly, the RPG's lead says the game will definitely not be delayed and will meet its late 2027 launch window.

Over the weekend, Kingdom Hearts 4 hopefuls were finally rewarded for their years of patience with a new trailer as well as the confirmation that the RPG is set to launch at the end of next year. Until recently, news on the game had been almost nonexistent since its reveal over four years ago, so you can understand why some folks think that the end now being in sight is a bit too good to be true.

However, series director Tetsuya Nomura and Kingdom Hearts 4 co-director Tai Yasue want to squash any of those worries right now. Speaking at D23, Nomura acknowledges the immediate speculation from fans that "the release date might still get pushed back" before launch, saying: "I want to set the record straight: That is not happening."

Nomura reiterates the plan to release Kingdom Hearts 4 in late 2027, adding that "a lot of the marketing for the game has only just started, and so I do hope that people also look forward to hearing more news as well." In other words, it seems, Square Enix isn't just going to go radio silent until launch, either, so we can get excited for more trailers and the like.

Yasue doubles down on Nomura's statement as he proclaims, "I can confidently say and promise that it will launch in 2027," adding: "Schedule-wise, the development is very smooth. It's not like an 80%, 90% – it's a 100% thing. We'll be there in 2027 for sure."

Obviously, no game developer is ever going to follow their big release window announcement with comments suggesting that things are looking a bit shaky behind the scenes, and the team might not actually make the deadline they just publicly announced, but to so boldly promise no delays like this certainly suggests a high level of confidence. With that said, we've seen similar things said before and fans have still been burned – just look at GTA 6, and Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick saying in early 2025 that "we feel really good" about it launching that year… before it was delayed. …Twice.

Kingdom Hearts 4's Goofy and Donald are playable for the first time ever, and Mickey's Paper Mario-style sections are "very different from Sora's adventure."

Much of Final Fantasy 7 Revelation remains a mystery, though fans are hoping that the social media activity of a Japanese icon who featured in some of the JRPG's spin-offs is teasing some big plans.

Over on Instagram lately, Japanese musician Gackt has posted an image of himself cosplaying as Genesis Rhapsodos, for whom he provides the inspiration and Japanese voice in the Final Fantasy 7 spin-off games Crisis Core and Dirge of Cerberus. What's more, the song playing in the background of the post appears in Dirge of Cerberus.

The cheeky social media is interesting for a few reasons, though there are some caveats. Gackt's connection to Final Fantasy 7 has been there for a long time, and it's something he often posts about. Looking at his Instagram page, he often posts old clips and performances – some of which include himself dressed up as Genesis. There have been a few times over the years that supposed teases lead to little.

However! Sometimes they do lead to something. As one fan on Twitter notes, just days before the Crisis Core remake was announced, Gackt posted about returning to a studio he hadn't visited in "over ten years" for some voice recording. Hm!

Either way, fans are speculating with excitement. Dirge of Cerberus is yet to get a remake, sure, though something else to consider is the timing, as fans wonder if Genesis might appear as a boss fight in the Remake trilogy's grand finale. Final Fantasy 7 Revelation boss Naoki Hamaguchi has spoken a few times recently about how the spin-off games and Advent Children film tie into the grand finale, and did so recently at Final Fantasy 14's Berlin Fan Fest.

"I see a great deal of that discussion," he said at the time to YouTuber Ashif’s Release Notes. "I've seen a lot of people discussing and speculating off the back of interviews with myself and with Kitase-san, 'Is the ending of this going to connect to Advent Children?'

"But it's not a question. I don't want to sit here and say it connects to this, it connects to that. But obviously, there are a lot of other titles within the VII universe. So, we're talking about Advent Children, we're talking about Dirge of Cerberus, Crisis Core. And we want to bring all of those in and make sure we're not leaving those out."

Hamaguchi goes on to say that "once we have all of those in place, we're looking towards the ending." The question the developers are theoretically asking themselves is "what kind of ending are we going to head for in Revelation that still has those ties?"

Naturally, you'll have to wait for Final Fantasy 7 Revelation to release next year to truly find out, though Gackt's social media activity isn't making the wait any easier.

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation director says each character in the RPG only has 4 jobs because making games is so much harder now.

The games industry will undergo a sea change in early 2028, with Sony ceasing production of PlayStation discs. Despite the pushback on this decision, it remains in place, and data from Square Enix certainly affirms that the gaming audience is already going digital.

According to the company's latest earnings report, significantly more players are already purchasing their games digitally. In a slide breaking down units sold across video games in digital entertainment, we can see that 90.11% of all game sales are "downloads" rather than "packaged."

This comes from numbers in North America, Europe, Japan, and Asia, and the rest of the world. That's a pretty large disparity, underpinning a clear preference for digital over physical purchasing.

But the situation isn't that clear-cut. You have to consider what people's options actually are. Buying physical games can be relatively tricky depending on where you live - there may not be a brick-and-mortar store nearby, forcing you to buy online. It might be both cheaper and more convenient to simply get the game you want on the PlayStation Store, Steam, or whatever.

Then you have releases that are only available digitally for the time being, like the HD remasters of Final Fantasy 10 and 10-2 for Switch 2. These are on top of Final Fantasy 14, which is predominantly sold online - though you can technically get a packaged version of old versions.

Physical game sales often appear smaller than they actually are when they're pit against combined digital sales that include microtransactions, DLC, and subscriptions on top of full game sales, and that's especially true for Square Enix given the Final Fantasy 14-sized hippo hanging off its game figures.

It's similar to the logic we've seen from Capcom, which reckons 95% of its sales will be digital over the next fiscal year. That's all well and good, but for the majority of PC players alone, there's no other option, so of course the stats will skew that way.

Market forces, not just preferences, are pushing people towards non-physical sources for games. Ultimately, just because the majority does something a certain way, it doesn't mean the others should be forgotten, which is the main argument against Sony's new policy. That said, figures are figures, and Square Enix's audience is, like many, all about digital products.

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The long-rumored Final Fantasy 9 remake is currently stalling despite being quite far along – at least for now, according to one report.

In comments made last month that are now doing the rounds of the internet, veteran games journalist Alex Donaldson of RPGsite and recently Respec delves into what's going on with one of the industry's most notoriously unannounced projects.

Per Donaldson, the Final Fantasy 9 project was a single game and was quite far along in development before it eventually ground to a halt. As of right now, the JRPG remake is no longer moving forward.

If you're feeling deflated, though, there is some hope. Donaldson notes that the new mobile Dissidia game was basically canceled for over a year before eventually being revived. Given that Final Fantasy 9's remake project has a lot of work already done, the same could happen here.

Mind you, "illustrations created as potential box art and as key art were just tweeted out for the anniversary," so you might not want to get your hopes up too much.

Donaldson's remarks came as part of a wider discussion of a Final Fantasy 14 Fan Fest panel featuring director and producer Naoki "Yoshi-P" Yoshida and Final Fantasy 7 Revelation lead Naoki Hamaguchi. Not only did Yoshi-P turn heads by saying that remakes of FF6, FF8, and FF9 would need multiple installments, but he also pointed out that fans want Hamaguchi to direct FF17, and what better praise of someone could that be?

In short, per Donaldson, the veteran Final Fantasy 14 boss has a habit of disguising a teaser as speculation.

For example, when showing off the MMO's Dawntrail expansion, he turned a few heads by saying the reason behind the FF9 nods was "a secret." If we're talking about rumored timelines, it's interesting that a Final Fantasy 9 remake was reportedly in the works at that point.

As such, his pointing out how difficult it would be to remake such a game at the moment can read as a soft confirmation that it's too difficult to press ahead with the project right now.

In a similar way, it's noteworthy that he would point out how people would like Hamaguchi to direct the next mainline Final Fantasy game, especially with FF7: Revelation due to wrap up the trilogy next year.

Of course, there's a reason certain projects aren't official: things can change. Games that make sense in one moment don't in the next, so even if something is teased, you might not want to look into something too much until it comes from the source itself.

Final Fantasy 9's own rumored remake is a good example of that in action. We first caught wind of the project as part of an infamous Nvidia leak that's slowly but surely confirmed the plans of many differing developers and publishers. Since then, while we haven't heard anything official from Square Enix, we have received the odd update from outside sources with decent track records.

Just earlier this year, for example, one such source said the JRPG project is on ice.

As ever, take everything you read with a pinch of salt as plans change, accounts conflict, and sometimes a random remark is just that, rather than a tease of what's to come. Still, if you were looking forward to the unannounced Final Fantasy 9 remake actually being announced, you may want to put it to the back of your mind for now.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth multi-platform push and Final Fantasy 14 Evercold hype give Square Enix a welcome win as profits surge over 88%

Things are looking good for Square Enix at the moment. Thanks in no small part to Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's staggered launch and Final Fantasy 14 gearing up for a new expansion, the company reported a huge increase in overall profits.

These numbers come from Square Enix's latest financial results, where it says the publisher has seen an 88.6% jump in operating income for the three-month period ending June 30. That's a pretty high margin, to say the least.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is listed as a specific reason for this, seeing as the blockbuster RPG arrived on Nintendo Switch 2 and Xbox Series X/S in June. It had a "solid performance," according to the report, alongside The Adventures of Eliot: The Millennium Tales.

Staying with Moogles and Chocobos, then, Final Fantasy 14's been putting in a strong shift to boot. We're on the road to the next major expansion, Evercold, and the buzz is being felt in Square Enix's accounting. There's been "improved user activity" in the MMORPG of late, stemming from the " advance recognition" of what's coming.

Eorzea's been a hive of activity in recent months, with the active player count crossing the one million threshold for the first time since early 2025. People are ready for what Evercold has to offer, and they're getting their friends involved ahead of the expansion's rollout.

Of course, besides the MMO's latest chapter, we have Final Fantasy 7 Revelation coming in 2027. I'd expect these numbers to grow again once both of these mammoth releases are available. Just one other question: when's Final Fantasy 17 coming?

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It's looking likely that we could be getting another look at Kingdom Hearts 4 this month. The franchise is set for a retrospective showcase at D23, and some potential panelists have been revealed, increasing the odds that the latest installment will be part of proceedings in some capacity.

The Deep Dive into Kingdom Hearts panel will take place on August 15, and thanks to the D23 app, we now know three possible participants (thanks, Kingdom Hearts Insider). Haley Joel Osment will be at the event, an expected presence since he's the voice of protagonist Sora as well as the villain Vanitas.

He's being joined by David Gallagher, the voice of Riku, another unsurprising attendee. But the third person listed is an exciting one: Tai Yasue, the co-director of Kingdom Hearts 4.

Now, Yasue also co-directed Kingdom Hearts 3 and a bunch of the spin-offs, including Birth by Sleep and Dream Drop Distance, making him a tenured voice on the property's development, but it's convenient he can speak to the upcoming sequel, too. This could be the first time we hear a lead dev speak on Sora, Donald and Goofy's next misadventure, if it happens, but I should note they're all just listed for D23 in general and not tied to any specific showcase.

Thus far, we've just two trailers. And though it's exciting, it's been difficult to fully contextualize (Kingdom Hearts being obtuse, shocking right?), so it'll be helpful to get some insights into where the narrative is going and what roles some of the characters will be playing.

There's no release window yet for the next mainline installment, and I wouldn't expect one at D23. A showcase handled specifically by Square Enix is much more likely for that information, but we may get a little more footage alongside whatever the panelists can tell us. We've come a long way from sealing the darkness in Wonderland and the Deep Jungle, and the road forward continues unabated.

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Final Fantasy 7 Remake series director Naoki Hamaguchi has revealed Final Fantasy 7 Revelation is close to completion, and that he's quite confident that it'll hit the mark.

Speaking to YouTube creator Ashif’s Release Notes (via Genki_JPN), Hamaguchi was asked about his approach to helming the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy, as someone who was inspired by the series itself, and while the 12 years he's been working on the project have caused him to feel a massive amount of responsibility and pressure, things have somewhat calmed as he approaches the end.

"Having been able to announce FF7 revelation at SGF, I hope that people out there can look at it and think this looks like it will be pretty good," Hamaguchi says, adding, "As we are now approaching the end, it's nearing completion. I personally can pick it up and play it and think, 'yeah, this feels good; this is satisfying.' So I am quite confident in it."

Of course, with it being the final entry in the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy and coinciding with the original game's 30th anniversary, Revelation has a fair amount riding on it as a release. Hamaguchi acknowledges this: "Of course the final judgment is in the hands of the players... but I feel confident." He adds, "I can see the end. So my honest state at the moment is that I can finally feel that pressure lifting."

Despite some major problems people have with the current remake games, and the weird ending of Rebirth leaving the series on a bit of a rough note for many, it's hard to deny that they are mostly an excellent time. Hopefully the finale lands for everyone, and finally clears up some of the weird remake timeline shenanigans.

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation boss says the ending "might be fully faithful to the original" RPG, or "it might end up being something completely different"

There have been some stark differences between the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy and the original game thus far, and the conclusion could be another place where creative liberties are taken. That said, don't expect any hints from overseer Naoki Hamaguchi, who's playing coy in the hopes people choose to just enjoy the journey instead.

"I have never told any media outlet about what kind of ending Final Fantasy 7 Revelation will have," he tells Automaton.

"I don't want people to focus just on the ending," he adds. "I’m aiming to create a game that will make people feel 'I'm glad they made the Remake series,' or 'I'm glad I was able to see the Final Fantasy 7 Remake series through to the end' when they look back on the whole trilogy."

Considering he and his team will have one PlayStation release into three blockbuster games on modern hardware, I can understand his perspective. That's a decade-plus of development, redesigning, and restructuring the narrative to offer hundreds of hours of gameplay, all while celebrating and maintaining the legacy of a game that shook the industry.

But as we approach the third and final installment, the big question is: Should we expect it to end like the 1997 version, or is Hamaguchi planning the curveball of curveballs? He's saying nothing.

"The ending might be fully faithful to the original, or it might end up being something completely different," he explains. "Or perhaps, it might go in a direction no one could have imagined in the first place. I’d like everyone to experience it for themselves."

Those are big words. The climax of Final Fantasy 7 is right up there when it comes to memorable scenes in the sci-fi adventure. I'd probably place it third behind Sephiroth burning Nibelheim and the death of Aerith in set-pieces that always give me goosebumps.

I mean, Cloud doing Omnislash? And then the lifeforce coming to protect the planet? It's pure cinema. I can't see your final limit break being removed - it's just such a perfectly timed moment - but Hamaguchi hasn't done me wrong yet. I trust him, and I'm ready for what Revelation has to offer.

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation director says each character in the RPG only has 4 jobs because making games is so much harder now