Final Fantasy 14 Producer Teases 'Secret' Reason for FF9 References in Dawntrail Expansion

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth enjoyed widespread critical acclaim upon its launch earlier in the year on a level that no game in the series has in a long, long time- though it seems that critical acclaim isn’t quite translating to commercial success in the manner that Square Enix would have hoped for.

It’s still difficult to wrap your head around how Square Enix managed to make a game as massive and diverse as Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth in the short amount of time that it did, and it looks like the company is hoping to do the same with the remake trilogy’s final instalment.

Following the release of the Ultimania compilation for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, game producer Yoshinori Kitase stated that the development of the highly anticipated third entry in the series could lead to a shorter release window. Kitase said that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth was developed in three years following Final Fantasy 7 Remake's Intermission DLC thanks to the retention of team members, which led to an efficient development period that he hopes to continue into Part 3.

According to a new chat with Final Fantasy VII Remake producer Yoshinori Kitase, the third and final game in the new trilogy is aiming for a 2027 release date. This would keep a slightly quicker pace than the previous two titles in the series, with Final Fantasy VII Remake released in April 2020 and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth released on February 29, 2024.

The latest Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth update patch is now available to download, and it fixes the infamous Platinum Trophy bug that’s been plaguing some players. Like most modern video games, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth includes a list of Trophies that players can earn by completing various tasks in-game. Some of these achievements are simply a matter of playing through the game’s story and reaching certain moments, while others require going off the beaten path and fulfilling side objectives. At the very top of every PlayStation achievement list is the Platinum Trophy, the ultimate accolade that signifies that a player has fully completed the video game in question.

A potential remaster of Final Fantasy Tactics has been in the rumour mill for several years at this point, and even though official word on whether or not it exists remains elusive, Final Fantasy 16 producer Naoki Yoshida – who’s also the director and producer of Final Fantasy 14 – has indicated that he, at the very least, is personally interested in seeing Final Fantasy Tactics be brought back.

Square Enix has promised a fix for the issue that prevents players from acquiring a Platinum Trophy in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth boasts one of the most extensive trophy lists on PlayStation 5, with challenges even the most seasoned players find hair-raising. However, it's not the difficulty of these challenges stopping people from acquiring the coveted Platinum trophy, but rather a bug.

The long-awaited Final Fantasy XVI crossover is coming to Final Fantasy XIV on April 2 and running through May 8. Fans have been waiting for what seems like eons for the collab, which was initially teased in a trailer back in October 2023.

Days after revealing the release date of the Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail expansion, Square Enix confirmed that fans can expect to hear more news about it during the next Letter from the Producer LIVE event on April 12 and 13. The upcoming Final Fantasy 14 broadcast is expected to touch upon Dawntrail news that was not covered at the March 23 PAX East panel.

Just as pre-orders for Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail went live in North America, the Square Enix Store experienced technical issues due to the mass user traffic. At the time of writing, Final Fantasy 14 posted on social media that the storefront's developers were aware of the issue and suggested some temporary workarounds as the investigations continued.

Square Enix has revealed the for the latest expansion to the massive multiplayer online role-playing game.

could be on its way to Xbox consoles, based on a comment from producer Naoki Yoshida. While a PC port is already in development, this is the first hint of the 2023 action RPG coming to other consoles.