Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 won't "betray" fans of the original, says series producer

Final Fantasy series producer Yoshinori Kitase has said the forthcoming third part of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy won't "betray the fans of the original".

Kitase commented on fan conjecture around how much the story will change from the original, as part of an interview with Anime News Network, alongside Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi and battle director Teruki Endo.

"We've always kept the original in mind, and I don't think it's going to be a storyline that will betray the fans of the original [game]," he said. "But also, at the same time, [it's] been 27 years since the release of the original Final Fantasy 7. There are these things we feel we can only do now in the remake project that can bring a new happiness, a new sort of feeling of satisfaction to the players playing this game now 27 years later. What this will entail exactly is something we hope players will experience soon."

Kitase's comment is certainly interesting considering speculation of how the third part could alter the original story. While Remake suggested major changes to the narrative in future games, Rebirth mostly stuck to the script but wrapped in a convoluted multiverse plot that has proven controversial among some fans.

Square Enix now has the difficult job of wrapping up the story in the final part of the trilogy, appeasing fans of the original as well as tying up multiple Remake threads.

In fact, Hamaguchi said the development team wanted to include something "worthy of intense discussion" between game releases, which resulted in the ending focused on Aerith's fate. "In terms of the experience we anticipated and also desired, I think we are satisfied in that there are both negative or positive reactions to this scene," Hamaguchi noted.

"Regarding the original," added Kitase, "its [first disc] ends with that huge loss. And I recall some people not even wanting to continue playing and changing over to disc two because they didn't want to play anymore because of that. It's such a huge feeling of loss and despair, but I do think there's a synchronisation of feelings between the players and Cloud, struggling with 'How do I deal with this feeling?' The feeling of loss and how a person struggled to take that on was happening. We imagined the players of [Rebirth] would also have that synchronous feeling."

Elsewhere in the interview, Kitase was asked about the presumed console exclusivity window of the third part in the wake of Rebirth reportedly underperforming. While he didn't provide a firm comment, he said the development team was "looking forward to more players enjoying and playing this title".

Additionally, Endo spoke of wanting to give players more freedom in the third game. "While I'm unable to comment on granular details of that right at this moment, I believe that instead of the developers or the creators dictating how the players should play along a pre-planned path, so to speak, it's better to allow more freedom and the user's choice to be able to play in their own way that they wish to," he said.

"While naturally, there are challenges to actually realising that, and when you go into making that a reality, my thoughts are also that for the Final Fantasy series to continue to reinvent itself, to revitalise itself, and stay fresh to our players, this type of constant evolution is necessary in terms of the battle elements as well."

Earlier this year, I interviewed Kitase where we discussed the essence of the Final Fantasy series. "We talk about Final Fantasy as being a toy box," he said. "The idea that you take the lid off the toy box and you've got all kinds of different things in there. There's a dinosaur here, you've got your football here and your baseball here. And there are so many different things to play with and have fun. And that to me, that's what Final Fantasy is."