According to a new interview with CG World Japan, Square Enix may potentially switch to Unreal Engine 5 to develop the final part of its Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy. Director Naoki Hamaguchi explained that the company is planning to weigh the pros and cons of sticking with Unreal Engine 4 before making a decision.
Hamaguchi also noted that what he thinks players want most is for the company to release the final game as soon as possible, in the best shape possible. Switching to Unreal Engine 5 may speed up development.
In April, Final Fantasy VII Remake producer Yoshinori Kitase said that the third and final game in the remake project is eyeing a 2027 release date. This would be fitting, as the original PlayStation game will celebrate its 30th anniversary the same year.
According to Kitase, the hope is to “deliver an amazing product for Part 3 without having to sacrifice quality over time.” The development period for Rebirth was shortened by keeping the same staff, and as the dev team will remain unchanged for the third title, it will be easier to streamline work and get things done quickly.
Earlier this month, Hamaguchi reassured fans that the popular Queen’s Blood card game would return in Part 3.
“Actually I’ve been receiving so many requests,” he said. “Right now we are preparing a revamped or even better version of Queen’s Blood for the next title of this series. So I hope to be able to share more in the near future.”
While not much is known about Part 3 of Final Fantasy VII Remake, it has been announced that series composer Nobuo Uematsu will return to compose a new main theme for the title.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth was released on February 29 for the PlayStation 5.