A vague release window of winter 2023 was provided forFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth,the follow-up to developer Square Enix’sFinal Fantasy 7 Remake, back in June. However, information about the project has been pretty scarce since. This year is set to be a big one forFinal Fantasyfans betweenRebirthand the planned June launch ofFinal Fantasy 16, the first mainline entry in the series since 2016’sFinal Fantasy 15. While this is exciting, it does meanFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthnews will likely take a backseat for the first half of the year as the hype forFF16continues to build.
As arguably one of thebest JRPG franchises of all time, each newFinal Fantasycarries a huge weight of expectations. By and large, the games tend to be fresh and diverse enough to meet, or sometimes surpass these expectations. When theFinal Fantasy 7 Remakeproject was announced, many were skeptical about whether any such project could possibly live up to the original, which is considered the finest of theFinal Fantasygames - and possibly one of the greatest video games of all time. To Square Enix’s credit, the developer managed to pull it off, recreating the first part of Cloud Strife’s epic journey in stunning fashion. Now it has to stick the landing with the second part of its remake trilogy.
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Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth News is Unlikely to Hit Soon
The positive reception toFinal Fantasy 7 Remakeonly served to heighten expectations for the next two installments of this planned trilogy.WithRemakeonly covering events in Midgar, much ofFF7’s wider narrative remains to be told. New story elements added toRemakehave piqued curiosity further, as events inRebirthand its successor are no longer guaranteed to play out as they did in the original 1997 game. This next chapter will be even more crucial to Cloud and Sephiroth’s story as a result, and key details such as whether the game will remain semi-linear, or move to an open-world format after Midgar, remain unknown at the time of this writing.
Square Enix’s history of marketing upcoming games is hit-and-miss, and right now all of its focus will undoubtedly be onFinal Fantasy 16, which is just three months away. That means it’s unlikely that fans will receiveRebirthupdates until after that point, so those expecting to see the game at events such as E3 and Summer Game Fest - both of which take place prior toFF16’s launch - could be disappointed.
OnceFF16releases, the veteran Japanese developer has ample opportunity to shift its spotlight toRebirth. Square Enix has already released multiple projects this year, withOctopath Traveler 2andTheatrhythym Bar Linereceiving praise from critics and fans. With so much aboutRebirthnot yet known, and so many directions it could go from a narrative perspective, it’s easy to see how2023 could be one of Square Enix’s best years to date.
For now,all attention is likely to be onFinal Fantasy 16which, after seven years, represents the biggest gap between mainline entries in the series' 36-year history. The game looks to be making a bold move toward a more action-orientated style in a traditional high-fantasy setting, and fans ofFinal Fantasy 7will be hoping the launch goes smoothly so that attention can turn toward moreFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthnews.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirthis set to release for PS5 in winter 2023.
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