Look, when something anticipated is about to drop or come out? The last thing anyone wants is to get spoiled because they accidentally came across something online or heard someone talking about it. Another thing to consider is that many people get advanced copies of things like video games and thus are allowed to do streaming and various videos highlighting the product they got access to. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is a week away from release, and the reviews for the title paint it as something incredibly special. But for Tetsuya Nomura, he wants to ensure that those with the title right now don’t spoil too much for those who don’t.
On Twitter, the creative director for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth talked about how Square Enix and himself were fine with lifting most of the “restrictions” that tend to be imparted on various streamers and content creators while the game is still not fully out. In his own words, he was fine with this because he wanted to see people “comment” on their “experiences” within the title. However, he also asks for some restraint from these same people so that potential viewers don’t have key moments spoiled in big or small forms.
For example, he asks that key moments not be used as screenshots for the streams or videos they make. So, oh, the death of a character? And even though they lifted many of the restrictions for live streaming and video creation, there are still some rules that he reminds people to follow, even suggesting they go to the official rules page on the Square Enix site to see it all for themselves.
On the surface, this might seem like a “basic” request, but it’s a bit more complicated than that. This isn’t like, say, a certain Atlus remake where the story is essentially the same outside of the graphics, and thus, people can “just look up how it ends.” This entry in the remake saga is intentionally going away from what the PS1 original did back in the day. Yes, there will be plenty of “familiar beats,” but Tetsuya Nomura and his team have also been working hard to “steer things away” in unexpected directions.
That means that there could be key moments in the game that no one sees coming, and thus, a “simple stream” could lead to big spoilers if there’s no warning attached.
In the end, this is all about being kind to your fellow gamers and honoring the anticipation and hype they have for the title.
