Square Enix Director Naoki Hamaguchi Explains Development Choices for Final Fantasy 7 Revelation

Naoki Hamaguchi, director of the upcoming Final Fantasy 7 Revelation, said he has completed the game more than 40 times during development, revisiting each playthrough to ensure quality. He noted that a particular emotional scene still moves him to tears, highlighting the team’s focus on preserving the original story’s impact.

Hamaguchi also explained why the team continued using Unreal Engine 4 rather than switching to Unreal Engine 5. He said moving to the newer engine would have extended the development schedule and required rebuilding tools, while the existing UE4 workflow allowed the team to deliver the game quickly and maintain visual fidelity through a custom rendering system that mimics UE5’s Nanite technology. The game, the final entry in Square Enix’s Final Fantasy VII remake trilogy, is slated for release in spring 2027.