E3 2019 has ended and one of the standout games at the show, to nobody’s surprise, was Square Enix’sFinal Fantasy 7 Remake. The modernized JRPG, now with real-time combat, comes out of E3 now with a confirmed release date in early 2020. Add in a ton of new gameplay video and the reveal of Tifa Lockhart and it’s easy to understand whyFinal Fantasy 7 Remakeis so highly anticipated.
That excitement, however, has been tempered somewhat by the nearness of the next generation of consoles. It’s unlikely that Square Enix ever intended forFinal Fantasy Remake’s release to fall so close to the onset of new platforms, but the game’s ever-growing scope has led us to this point. Square Enix has opted to put outFinal Fantasy 7 Remakebefore the new consoles arrive, but the obvious question remains as to what happens next.
Luckily, rather than keep fans waiting, Square Enix has a clear answer.Final Fantasy 7 Remakewill be playable on the next generation of consoles, and it will run on the as-yet-unannouncedPlayStation 5. Speaking to GameSpot, Square Enix CEO Yosuke Matsuda says he believes theFinal Fantasy 7 Remakedevelopment team is making the game to support both current-gen and next-gen consoles.
Matsuda doesn’t elaborate on the topic, which unfortunately leaves some breathing room regarding whetherFinal Fantasy 7 Remakewill be a simplebackward compatible title on PS5or whether Square Enix is creating a version of the game to take advantage of the new console’s hardware. Judging by his description, however, it’s the latter. After all, no extra development would necessarily be needed to put out the game on PS5 via backward compatibility.
The key takeaway is thatFinal Fantasy 7 Remakewill be available to play on PlayStation no matter whether players stick with the PS4 or upgrade to thePS5 in late 2020(or whenever the console inevitably launches). And odds are the remake will look incredible no matter the platform. Expect to hear more specific information about Square Enix’s plans forFinal Fantasy 7 Remakelater this year.
