Naoki “Yoshi-P” Yoshida says fans shouldn’t expect remakes of Final Fantasy VI, VIII, or IX to follow the same path as Final Fantasy VII Remake. Speaking during Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival 2026, he explained that remaking any of those classic games to modern AAA standards would be an enormous project. Each could need four or even five separate releases due to the content that would have to be rebuilt and expanded. Recreating them at the same level as FFVII Remake would take years and massive resources.

Naoki Hamaguchi, director of Final Fantasy VII Revelation, said that about 95% of the developers who worked on Final Fantasy VII Rebirth stayed on to help create the final game in the remake trilogy. Because most of the team remained together, they were able to keep the same workflows and maintain development momentum. This helped the game reach completion in about 3 years. Many modern AAA games take longer to make because staff changes require time to train and integrate new team members. Hamaguchi said that keeping the core team together was one of the main reasons the project stayed on schedule despite its large scope.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi recently shared his thoughts on the future of RPG combat systems He said that games like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 “may have been inevitable” as newer players increasingly prefer real-time gameplay over traditional turn-based combat. According to Hamaguchi, many younger players grew up with fast-paced action games and online multiplayer titles, which has changed expectations for modern RPGs. As a result, more developers are moving toward action-focused combat systems that feel faster and more interactive. At the same time, he made it clear that turn-based RPGs are not disappearing.

Yoshi-P gave Final Fantasy VII Remake director Naoki Hamaguchi a huge compliment during a Final Fantasy XIV Fan Fest panel. He said many fans have been asking for Hamaguchi to direct Final Fantasy XVII, calling it “one of the biggest compliments a game director can get from players.” When Hamaguchi looked like he was about to answer, Yoshi-P quickly joked, “No, no, don’t!”, making fans wonder if there was more to the story.

Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 3 could receive DLC after its release, according to director Naoki Hamaguchi. The team seriously considered story DLC for Rebirth but decided against it. Hamaguchi explained: “Within the context of a long-term trilogy, we concluded that developing the second installment’s DLC in parallel with the third would affect the third game’s schedule and quality. My primary role was to deliver the third entry to fans as quickly as possible at a satisfying level of polish.” The door remains open for post-launch content once Part 3 is complete: “DLC beyond the third installment depends on how strongly fans continue to support Final Fantasy 7. If there is significant demand, we’d be open to exploring it.” He has personally played through Part 3 more than 40 times during development.

A Final Fantasy VI remake isn’t impossible, but don’t expect it soon. FFVII Remake director Naoki Hamaguchi says the team is focused on finishing the FFVII Remake trilogy, so there are no plans for an FFVI remake. Original FFVI co-director Yoshinori Kitase says remaking the game would be a huge challenge because it has a massive cast of playable characters, multiple story paths, and a ton of optional content. Turning all of that into a modern AAA game would take a lot of time and resources.

Renowned Japanese novelist #KeigoHigashino# died of colon cancer at 68, his publisher Kodansha announced Monday. He passed away on July 23. A Naoki Prize winner with 106 books, his works captivated readers worldwide and were widely adapted for the screen. #RIP#