An HD remake of Final Fantasy VII is high on the list of countless gamers' wish lists, right up there with Half-Life 3, and for years, both have seemed as though they were completely an utterly out of reach. Despite fans hungry for a remake, it seems the closest we've gotten are a few spin-offs and a tech demo (aka, the biggest tease in the history of gaming) at the 2005 E3 that showed us just what Final Fantasy 7 would, or could look like on PS3. With a new PlayStation now upon us, Square Enix is still no closer to satisfying the fans on that front. Or are they?
Siliconera has caught wind that the Japanese RPG giant has filed a trademark for the Shinra Company, the villainous electric company that oversaw everything in Final Fantasy VII from energy production and space exploration to military groups like SOLDIER, which saw the development of the game's primary antagonist, the iconic Sephiroth.
Obviously Square Enix has some sort of plan in mind involving FFVII, but what? As arguably the most popular and well known of the entire Final Fantasy series, we've already seen multiple spin-offs from the game like Crisis Core and the "Advent Children" film, but given the recent admission of the game's producer, the chances of a direct re-make are slim.
Speaking with Eurogamer on the subject earlier this week, Yoshinori Kitase said, "I can honestly tell you I would love to do that. If you simply ask me if I personally would like to do that, yes I would. Definitely. There's no lie about it. But you must believe me when I say it would take a lot to happen."
That's not exactly a no, but it's also far from encouraging.
For Kitase, it ultimately comes down to having staff, money, and a metric ass load of motiavtion and preparation. Kitase added, "I don't know if those three things will happen simultaneously. It has to tick lots of very big boxes. I won't rule out the possibility, but it would take a lot to make it happen. But should I ever take it on, it would have to be the biggest project I've done. My life work. So I would have to be as highly motivated as that to end up with something I'm very happy with. It's a huge thing for me."
Other Square Enix staffers have also downplayed the possibility of a remake whenever the subject came up. In the summer of 2012, character designer Tetsuya Nomura, who said, "There are a lot of people who want a remake of Final Fantasy VII. However, new titles take precedence. We work our hardest to make something that might be even better than Final Fantasy VII. The new Final Fantasy must overcome the Final Fantasy of the past." And given the mediocre scores for the most recent FF game, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, it'll be a long time indeed before the developer ever provides the audience with such a remake.