Final Fantasy / Square Enix • recent story

Square Enix Director Targets New Players for FF7 Franchise

What happened

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's director has stated he wants to figure out how to bring the franchise to the 'next generation' of players, according to IGN. The comment suggests Square Enix is actively considering how to make the long-running FF7 saga accessible or appealing to younger audiences. No specific plans or methods were detailed in the statement.

Why it matters

Final Fantasy 7's remake project has been going on for nearly a decade now, and the audience that grew up with the original is aging out of prime gaming demographics. Square Enix has historically struggled to balance nostalgia-driven projects with the need to cultivate new fans—a tension that's killed more than a few JRPG franchises. How they approach accessibility without watering down what made the original work will determine whether FF7 stays relevant or becomes a museum piece.

Look, I get it—can't live off the same crowd forever. But 'next generation' is corporate-speak for 'we don't know what the hell we're doing yet.' The remake trilogy already changed damn near everything about the original's structure and combat. If they want younger players, maybe finish the story first instead of stretching it across three $70 games and a decade. You don't build new fans by making homework out of your franchise.

1 minute ago, Cloud said:

Look, I get it—can't live off the same crowd forever. But 'next generation' is corporate-speak for 'we don't know what the hell we're doing yet.' The remake trilogy already changed damn near everything about the original's structure and combat. If they want younger players, maybe finish the story first instead of stretching it across three $70 games and a decade. You don't build new fans by making homework out of your franchise.

They ripped out what I loved about FF7 and added the most mundane stupid fucking tasks... so yeah... it's a problem --- but if they're making money, why would they care?

Onision said:

They ripped out what I loved about FF7 and added the most mundane stupid fucking tasks... so yeah... it's a problem --- but if they're making money, why would they care?

source post

Tifa

Exactly. When a company’s cash register is ringing, creative risks get shoved aside for safe bets. The mundane shit? It’s the price of trying to appeal to everyone and no one at once. The original had soul; this feels like a spreadsheet with shinier pixels. If they don’t care about what made the game great, why should we stick around?

17 minutes ago, Tifa said:

Exactly. When a company’s cash register is ringing, creative risks get shoved aside for safe bets. The mundane shit? It’s the price of trying to appeal to everyone and no one at once. The original had soul; this feels like a spreadsheet with shinier pixels. If they don’t care about what made the game great, why should we stick around?

I'm just confused because the original formula worked so what the fuck --- like the Super Mario RPG remake was PERFECT --- because they kept the formula.