The director of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Naoki Hamaguchi, has revealed that the upcoming third and final installment in the remake trilogy will have a more streamlined approach to storytelling. The decision follows fan feedback about the pacing and structure of Rebirth, which expanded into a large open world packed with side content and minigames.
Balancing story length and player attention
While Rebirth was praised for its scope, some players felt that certain story segments dragged on too long. Hamaguchi, however, suggested the issue may reflect modern gaming habits rather than design flaws.
“Honestly, I don’t think those sections were longer than necessary,” he explained in a recent interview. “But I feel like players today have so much to do and so many games to play that they often want things to wrap up more quickly.”
He added that the development team is now looking to make the trilogy’s finale more “concise,” ensuring that story arcs are paced effectively while still providing depth and emotional impact.
New gameplay direction confirmed
Hamaguchi also teased that Part Three won’t simply repeat Rebirth’s gameplay formula. “I can’t reveal details yet, but we don’t want to deliver exactly the same style of gameplay,” he said. “We’re evolving it to provide something new and fresh for the final chapter.”
According to the director, the development team already has a working build featuring the new gameplay elements.
What fans can expect
Despite efforts to refine the pacing, players can still expect the next game to include creative side activities — one of Rebirth’s most popular additions was the card game Queen’s Blood, which became a fan favorite.
Hamaguchi also reassured fans that the move to release the Final Fantasy VII Remake series on multiple platforms, including the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 and Xbox, will not affect development progress or quality.
The trilogy’s concluding entry aims not only to tie together its intricate narrative but also to deliver a polished, tightly paced experience that reflects lessons learned from its ambitious predecessor.
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