Final Fantasy VII Revelation was developed over a span of three years, primarily because 95% of the team remained intact.
TL;DR: Final Fantasy VII Revelation is set to be released in spring 2027, just three years after Rebirth, much quicker than the usual five years or more typical for AAA games. This efficiency comes from 95% of the development team remaining intact from Rebirth, as explained by director Naoki Hamaguchi. Unlike the industry norm of disbanding teams after each project, Hamaguchi had the same team start designing Revelation a year before Rebirth was released. This continuity has led to faster production times: Remake took years of pre-production, Rebirth took four years, and Revelation just three. Hamaguchi and Naoki Yoshida are the only leaders at Square Enix to maintain consistent teams across projects, demonstrating the benefits of this approach. Amid significant layoffs in the gaming industry, Hamaguchi noted that player feedback influenced design choices in Revelation, such as focusing on cosmetic mini-game rewards and allowing players to fly the Highwind airship freely across the entire world. Only a handful of people at Square Enix knew the title “Revelation” prior to its announcement. After completing Revelation, Hamaguchi plans to explore projects beyond remakes, potentially including a new Final Fantasy or an original AAA title, though he recognizes the challenges of managing multiple persistent teams within the company.
Published June 13, 2026 - 2:05 pm UTC
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Final Fantasy VII Revelation was developed over a span of three years, primarily because 95% of the team remained intact.
FF7 Revelation was completed in 3 years rather than the typical 5 or more because 95% of the development team remained from Rebirth. In an industry struggling with talent retention, this is an important takeaway.
