Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's efficient development due to team chemistry, director says

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has taken less than four years to develop thanks to team chemistry.

Between 80-90 percent of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake development team have continued their work on Rebirth, allowing for efficient development, its director has said.

"It was quite clear who to go to if we had a certain question or problem we were trying to solve," director Naoki Hamaguchi told Bloomberg. "We were able to work together as a team, achieve this great flow and tempo of game development."

Hamaguchi was in high school when the original Final Fantasy 7 was released in 1997 but is now director on Rebirth, following his work as co-director on Remake alongside Tetsuya Nomura.

"I want to put my best foot forward," he said, adding his aim is to ensure this new game "reaches the consumer of today."

"That's where I believe my role comes in as a younger creator within this team," he said.

Further details on the game have also been revealed after being shown at the Thailand Games Show, along with other interviews with Hamaguchi.

In an interview with GadgetMatch, Hamaguchi said Rebirth would still be accessible for new players.

"We understand that FF7 is a difficult title to get into today. But [Rebirth] is developed very meticulously so it won't feel unnatural when you start playing. All the tutorials will be there," he said. "We have created everything carefully so that even a new player can enjoy the game."

In that same interview he was asked about that moment fans are expecting: "There will be a surprise in this version as well." Let speculation continue.

GeekCulture, meanwhile, has reported that the Whispers from Remake will return. "In the previous game, we brought in the Whispers, so for the player, they can expect to see if there are any further developments for the Whispers," said Hamaguchi. "Not only will they appear, Zack is showing up as well, so it's like, 'What will happen to Zack?' This is the exciting point."

As for mini-games, Hamaguchi has confirmed the popular snowboarding sequence from the original won't be part of the Gold Saucer in Rebirth.

"We took what was included in the original Gold Saucer and tried to include everything in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Sadly, since Rebirth takes place [up] until the Forgotten Capital, the Snowboard sequence will not be included and will be saved for the latter game," Hamaguchi told OMG. "We want to change the image of the game from Gold Saucer having lots of minigames, to the game as a whole having lots of minigames."

The parade sequence in Junon will also differ depending on which soldiers have been recruited, adding depth to the original idea.

Lastly, some new footage of the chocobo racing has emerged from the Thailand Game Show. It shows drifting chocobo (seemingly inspired by Final Fantasy 16) and the return of a certain smartly dressed gentleman rival.

I described Rebirth as "Remake supercharged" when I played it a few weeks back. For more details, here's a rundown of the latest release date trailer - it's due on 29th February 2024.