The Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy is almost at an end, with the third and final entry looming on the horizon. It follows two incredible games, both of which have built on the foundation of the original game while adding plenty of nuanced changes along the way. Remake and Rebirth are great JRPGs in their own right and well worth playing for those who have yet to experience their majesty. However, to those still waiting for Part 3 to materialize, the huge success of both games is perhaps as much of a curse as it is a blessing.

With Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 being one of the most anticipated RPGs of all time, expectations are incredibly high. One may think that this is cause for Square Enix to take its time with its development to ensure that it gets everything right. Of course, that is, without a doubt, the best course of action, especially as it reduces on crunch, results in a great product, and ensures that the well-being of its employees is paramount. However, while a lengthy development would result in a better experience, it could ultimately be the game's downfall for one key reason.

It's Been Over A Year Since FF7 Rebirth Released

A Lot Has Happened In That Time

Somehow, more than a year has ed since Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth launched. My surprise may have something to do with the fact that, outside of some vague teases and production updates, we know very little about Part 3. Of course, in that interim period, we got the somewhat subpar FF7 Rebirth PC release, which further worsened PlayStation's reputation with PC s, and that has, at the very least, kept me busy for a while. Unfortunately, beyond that, the past year and a handful of months hasn't been kind to the patient.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 will be a huge game - although one hopes not as big as Rebirth. So, the lack of meaningful updates and the gap in time between Rebirth and Part 3 are understandable. However, it is antithetical to the way modern media has set up expectations for sequels. With major Marvel movie milestones like Infinity War and Endgame releasing a mere year apart and streaming services pumping out Squid Game seasons only a few months apart, people want the next entry faster than usual, unfortunately, myself included.

We've been somewhat conditioned to expect new content sooner rather than later, despite the ballooning development time and costs for video games. That's why everyone has been endlessly angry about the lack of GTA 6 updates or annoyed that Team Cherry hasn't announced an official Silksong release date. Games can't be announced too far in advance, but also not too close to release. Shadow drops are preferred, but fans also need time to get hyped. It's a dichotomy that is ruining expectations and leading to agitation in some fans, something that is definitely best avoided.

Rebirth's Complicated Ending Needs A Resolution Sooner Rather Than Later

It Could Get Confusing If Too Much Time es

Unfortunately, Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 is in a precarious position as it is following on from a lengthy and complicated entry in a trilogy of remakes that are adapting a single game's narrative. To make matters worse, Rebirth's tantalizing cliffhanger ending is preceded by several multiversal events that will make little sense to those unfamiliar with the original and, ironically, even less to those who are. For Square Enix to leave yet another four years between Rebirth and its sequel - like it did between Remake and Rebirth - would be excruciatingly difficult for fans.

It would be like if New Line Cinema released the Lord of the Rings movies multiple years apart, or, perhaps more aptly, if the Hobbit trilogy wasn't an annual release. Of course, the comparison between films and video games isn't exactly fair, considering it takes far more time and money to make a game than it does a film. However, the more narrative-heavy focus of Rebirth, coupled with its placement in the trilogy, gives players a similar level of investment in it as Marvel fans had in Infinity War. A lengthy break could undo all of that.

One could argue that fans who are particularly desperate for the next entry to see how it all unfolds could just play the original game. Beyond the fact that doing so would spoil a large portion of the experience, the Final Fantasy Remake trilogy is also changing FF7's ending. The introduction of Zack and Sephiroth's ultimate goal are all vastly different, and Rebirth's treatment of Aerith in its final moments, as well as Cloud's relationship with her, is also a huge deviation. Playing FF7 to figure out what will happen in Part 3 isn't a practical solution.

FF7 Rebirth Launching After 2025 Could Put Players Off

People Might Not Want To Replay Rebirth To Understand Part 3

The solution to all of this is for Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 to launch in 2025, although that seems somewhat unlikely. It took Square Enix five years to make Remake and four years to develop Rebirth. In an interview with Famitsu, Final Fantasy producer Yoshinori Kitase explained that the third game's story was completed in late 2024, illustrating that it likely still has several years left in development. Of course, the third entry will likely share a lot of the same DNA as Rebirth, and thus, development time could be shortened even more.

However, it also has its own challenges to overcome. It will likely be more story-dense, as it not only tackles the original game's ending but also wraps up the significant narrative changes. There will be new areas that will need to be developed from the ground up and Vincent and Cid to make playable in battle. On top of that, Square has to differentiate Part 3 from Rebirth enough to not just sell the same experience twice. As a result, it is safe to say that FF7 Remake Part 3's release date is a long way away.

This could be a problem for fans who perhaps don't intend to replay the near 100-hour-long Rebirth just to remind themselves of what happened. With how many games fans will experience in the time between Rebirth and its sequel, it's unlikely they'll retain all the events, big and small, from Rebirth required to understand Part 3's plot. Of course, they could just watch a recap, but that doesn't offer quite the same experience as playing through it yourself, and it will undoubtedly miss key moments. One's connection to these characters will have diminished with time, and that can't be regained through a recap.

The last Final Fantasy 7 Remake game could do extremely well, but one has to wonder just how many people will return for the third part in a trilogy that started potentially seven or more years prior.

Rebirth's dwindling sales were, at the very least, caused by the four-year gap between it and its predecessor. It isn't hard to imagine the same happening to Part 3. This is an inherent problem with spreading out a single story across three lengthy video games, an experiment that will reward patient fans but one that is unlikely to be replicated again. Of course, the last Final Fantasy 7 Remake game could do extremely well, but one has to wonder just how many people will return for the third part in a trilogy that started potentially seven or more years prior.

Source: Famitsu