Naoki Hamaguchi

Square Enix has started a documentary series which delves into the creation of the critically acclaimed Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. This first episode, Shaping the World, discusses how the developer reimagined the original game’s sprawling PS1 map into an enormous PS5 sandbox. It features anecdotes from directors Naoki Hamaguchi and Tetsuya Nomura, among many other key personnel.

The Tribeca Festival returns this June, and it will once again feature official games selections and even a game-focused panel. This year, the selections are all promising indie games, including a successor to 2021’s excellent Before Your Eyes. The show will also feature a talk on the making of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.

By splitting up Final Fantasy 7’s story across a trilogy of full-fledged games with its ongoing remake trilogy, Square Enix has been able to flesh out its world and characters much more than it would have been able to do with a more conventional remake. Where the latter are concerned, that has also included entirely new characters who weren’t part of the story in the original game itself, coming in the form of secondary members of the cast who still end up having fairly important roles to play.

Square Enix tried really hard to make Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's mako vacuuming minigame more enjoyable than the painfully tedious practice in masochism that it is by all measures. In fact, it was originally a lot worse.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi is struggling to decide how to kick off the third and final installment in the series.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is reportedly underperforming commercially.

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.

Square Enix has given fans an update on the status of the third and final part of its Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy.

Final Fantasy fans have a lot to unpack today, as the Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Ultimania book has now launched in Japan, giving us more juicy details about the recent RPG as well as the next chapter in the Remake trilogy. Notably, we've gotten a little more indication as to how long we can expect to wait for Part 3, even if no release window has been confirmed yet.

A new Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth update fixes a bug that was making it impossible for some players to earn a Platinum Trophy, among other features.

Square Enix has released the soundtrack for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, which features 175 tracks.

Square Enix has reportedly reassigned top Dragon Quest producer Yu Miyake following delays to the next mainline series entry.

A bug currently making it impossible for players to get a Platinum Trophy in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will be fixed in the game’s next patch, Square Enix says.

Square Enix has been in the habit of promoting its more prominent game developers and directors to give them higher positions within the company, and it’s now handed similar promotions to another batch of key figures, all of whom have been made executive officers.

Final Fantasy publisher Square Enix has appointed several new executive officers, including Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi.

Square Enix has appointed a number of new executive officers as of April 1, 2024, including Final Fantasy VII Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi, Team Asano head Tomoya Asano, and more.

Nobuo Uematsu has agreed to compose the main theme for the third game in the Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy.

With Square Enix’s Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth out now on PS5 and earning extensive accolades from critics, the development team is focusing on the third and final entry of the Remake saga. Though it hasn’t announced a release window or even an official name, a new 42-minute video is available where Rebirth composer Nobuo Uematsu, scenario writer Kazushige Nojima and creative director Tetsuya Nomura talk about the trilogy.

It’s been over a month since Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s launch, but the massive open world action RPG continues to occupy a sizeable portion of our headspace even now, thanks in no small part to how ambitious the game turned out to be, and how effectively Square Enix managed to make good on its vision in what was a relatively short development cycle. To shed some light on that process, the company has released a four-part behind-the-scenes series that details the development of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has Red XIII answer a question that I don't think many of us were asking in the first place - what does Cloud Strife smell like?

Square Enix has released a four-party documentary series for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth titled “Inside Final Fantasy VII Rebirth,” which uncovers the stories behind the making of the RPG through the eyes of the development team.

Square Enix has kicked off a new video series for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, focusing on the development of the game. The first episode is out now, and you can check it out below. Clocking in at almost 15 minutes, the episode focuses on how the developers went about creating the game’s expansive world.

Square Enix has released the first episode of “Inside Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, a behind the scenes of the making of the February 29-released action RPG sequel to Final Fantasy II Remake. The first episode is titled “Shaping the World.”

Square Enix has released a new Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth update featuring graphical improvements and bug fixes.

Square Enix has released Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth update v.1.020, introducing various improvements including performance options, graphics enhancements, frame rate adjustments, and more. Additionally, the update includes numerous bug fixes and functional enhancements aimed at refining the Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth gameplay experience.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's new patch, out today, takes another stab at improving the graphical and frame rate aspects of the game.

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that no great RPG can be complete without a quality collectible card game, and Square Enix brought the heat with Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and its exceptional Queen’s Blood. The mode has proven a welcome distraction for adventurers working their way through the PS5 console exclusive, and word is there may be more on the way.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi recently weighed in on the possibility of expansions for the Queen’s Blood card game in the wake of its popularity. Just like Final Fantasy 7 Remake before it, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth expands on the story of the 1997 original and includes many new side quests and bonus activities. Chief among them is Queen’s Blood, a card game that can be played in the lands beyond Midgar’s borders.

Legendary Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu has revealed he struggled with composing Sephiroth's now-iconic theme tune, One Winged Angel.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's director Naoki Hamaguchi has said the positive response to the Queen's Blood mini-game could mean «future expansions».

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's director, Naoki Hamaguchi, has confirmed that the team is currently considering "further expansions" for the in-universe card game, Queen's Blood.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi has said that further expansions of the card game Queen’s Blood are a possibility.

While may currently be devouring players' lives with its excellent reimagining of the classic story, one mini-game is proving so captivating that even Square Enix can envision making it even bigger. One of the major positives about the latest entry in the so-called «Remake Trilogy» is the addition of several carefully designed mini-games that both flesh out the world and prove to be a hoot in their own right. There's a good variety on offer but none has gained a following quite like the card game Queen's Blood.

Shortly before launch, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi confused many fans of the series by explaining that the development team made two versions of each side quest all because of Red XIII. We didn't know why at the time, as we weren't aware of the voice change that Red XIII goes through a little ways into the game itself, first hinted at in Under Junon and then again in Costa del Sol.

The Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth director, Naoki Hamaguchi, expressed surprise at the “yellow paint” becoming a topic of discussion on social media. Hamaguchi addressed the ongoing debate surrounding the use of yellow paint in the game while also providing reflections on various Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth aspects.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's director has hinted at the possibility of expansions for the JRPG's best minigame.

Responding to the yellow paint discourse, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's director says he will "take on board the valuable feedback for future games."

For almost 30 years, Final Fantasy was all about the party; the diverse team of fighters, mages, adventurers, and scoundrels that fought together. Spin-offs and online entries toyed with alternate formulas, but the idea of a group saving the world via turn-based battles was the cornerstone of the mainline series. Until 2016, that is. Final Fantasy 15 saw Square Enix controversially pivot to real-time action combat, and with it we lost direct control of our party allies. By 2023’s Final Fantasy 16 the party was practically eliminated, replaced by an occasional helping hand from an NPC. It’s a shift that’s eroded a vital piece of Final Fantasy’s soul.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is a stellar game, and the bevy of minigames it offers has become one of its most highly praised elements. Even with nearly 30 minigames on offer, however, there’s one in particular that has proven most popular with the game’s player base by far- Queen’s Blood, which is not only an entire, in-depth card collecting and battling game in and of itself, but also comes with an entire storyline revolving around it.

Lead developers who worked on Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth have described how "tough" making the sequel really was.

Final Fantasy 7 writer Kazushige Nojima says he "regretted" how Aerith and Tifa's relationship was handled in the original JRPG, and therefore saw Remake and now Rebirth as opportunities to make good on the friendship he envisioned all those years ago.

We all love spotting references in games, especially if you manage to find something a bit niche, but when it comes to obscurity, it'd be hard to top this clever nod to a mysterious Final Fantasy 7 fight in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. 

With Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and Square Enix working on the final installment in the Remake trilogy, there are a lot of questions. How will it end? Will it include more content and characters from the Compilation of Final Fantasy 7? Whatever the result, it’s confirmed that the world will be “rebuilt” to accommodate the Highwind.

Sony has confirmed it's struck a deal with publisher Square Enix to make the Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy a PlayStation console exclusive.

We've barely had enough time to properly sink our teeth into Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, but one of its directors has already confirmed that a good chunk of work on the third and final part of the Remake trilogy is already complete. 

The Final Fantasy VII Remake project trilogy will be console-exclusive to PlayStation, according to Sony Interactive Entertainment vice president of second- and third-party content ventures and strategic initiatives Christian Svensson.

Square Enix is lining up another patch for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, reports One More Game. As was the case with the previous update, the goal is to improve Rebirth's Performance mode, which has been heavily scrutinised since the game's demo launched last month. While the previous patch did make some positive adjustments, the mode still suffers from a dynamic resolution that can dip to noticeably muddy levels.

Despite only just getting the eagerly-anticipated Final Fantasy VII Rebirth out the door, Square Enix is already hard at work on the conclusion of the Remake trilogy. And while we wouldn't expect to hear anything substantial for a few years yet, we're already anticipating what comes next, and it seems we aren't alone in these.

Players have been gushing about Final Fantasy VII Rebirth since its launch last week, and there’s a good reason for that: the game is incredible by all meaningful accounts. Just as important, the title expanded upon the game’s lore, world, and more to ensure that gamers had the best experience within it. Remember, the original “remake” title was set entirely within Midgar, with the team at Avalanche only getting out of the city after a clash with Sephiroth. However, while the Square Enix team did make the world vast, they ensured that there was still plenty to explore within the next entry, which will finish the story.

There's a Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth patch in the pipeline, which will aim to improve the graphics in the game's Performance Mode, and «very scary» lighting on some characters' faces.

With Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth finally available for the PS5 almost four years after the first part, all eyes are now on the final part in the trilogy. Creative director Tetsuya Nomura confirmed development had begun in June 2022, while director Naoki Hamaguchi said last month that the script is making progress.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth launched this past Friday worldwide, following widespread critical acclaim (check out the accolades trailer). However, even after a patch that improved the visual quality of Performance Mode in the demo and game, players are still complaining about the same. Director Naoki Hamaguchi acknowledged this and confirmed another update is coming soon.

Square Enix released the hugely anticipated action RPG Final Fantasy VII Rebirth last Thursday, garnering widespread critical acclaim. Our Kai Powell gave it a perfect score:

Square Enix is already at work at fixing the issues with Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s Performance Mode.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's director, Naoki Hamaguchi, has claimed a patch to address the game's graphics in performance mode is in development and will be released soon. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth launched on February 29 after much anticipation. The story continues on from the previous game's ending, following Cloud and his party as they find a way to stop Sephiroth and save the world. One of the things that Rebirth was praised for was its presentation, having incredibly detailed graphics.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's director has reportedly promised an update for issues with the game's 60fps performance mode.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has seen universal acclaim from critics, and even stands as one of the best-reviewed Final Fantasy games to date, sitting at a Metacritic score of 92. Achieving a 90-plus Metacritic score was, in fact, a goal that the game’s developers were expressly working towards- or, well, game director Naoki Hamaguchi was anyway.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's director, Naoki Hamaguchi, has confirmed that the game's performance mode issues are planning to be fixed in a later update.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth introduces new playable characters, but not everyone made the cut this time around. Vincent Valentine and Cid are now the only two companions from the original Final Fantasy 7 to not be playable in the remake trilogy so far, as they sit Rebirth out.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has only just launched, but many will already be racing towards the ending to find out how it's been reimagined for this remake trilogy. This is something that Rebirth's director, Naoki Hamaguchi, is all too aware of, having long decided that the big, shocking death from the original game would be the perfect way to end Rebirth.

It’s finally here! Yes, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is finally here, and that means that gamers can FINALLY continue the story of Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, Barrett, Red XIII, and the new friends they’ll make along the way as they travel through the world of Gaia and attempt to stop Sephiroth! But before you go into your adventure, there is one last message you should hear. Specifically, the leads behind this incredible remake title came together for one last “thank you” and a statement about the game’s launch and what it means to them to have this game out amongst players finally.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's director says the new action-RPG is reaching for a level that was never possible before today's technology, and that's just like the original 1997 game.

Now that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is out in the world, it's only natural to wonder how many chapters it has. Or you might prefer to call them missions or levels.

Square Enix has published a Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth launch trailer to coincide with the game’s release today.

The anticipation for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has been through the roof for a while now, but the wait is now over. The second instalment in the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy is available now on PlayStation 5, and Square Enix has released a launch trailer to commemorate the occasion. You can view it below, though do keep in mind that if you’re looking to avoid spoilers, it might be best to skip this trailer.

Square Enix has released the launch trailer for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the second entry in the three-part Final Fantasy VII remake project following 2020’s Final Fantasy VII Remake.

A printing error with the physical Japanese release of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth means the discs have the wrong labels on them.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's director would like the team to stay together to work on other projects after the remake trilogy is complete. 

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth producer Yoshinori Kitase thinks the cast of «very appealing characters» is what made the game so popular.

In an interview with Kinda Funny Games, Naoki Hamaguchi, director of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, opened up about other Final Fantasy titles that he'd love to see remade. 

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s hugely anticipated launch is right around the corner, and with reviews for the game having gone live well ahead of its release and painted a glowing picture of the epic journey that Square Enix is on the verge of delivering, excitement is sky-high. Among many of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s elements that have received overwhelming praise in recent days, its vast and varied collection of minigames has received quite a bit of attention in particular, and game director Naoki Hamaguchi has now provided a clearer picture of just how many minigames players will find throughout the experience.

There’s no shortage of reasons to be excited about Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth ahead of its imminent launch, and its sizeable and varied roster of minigames is surely high on that list. From playing the piano to chocobo racing, from Fort Condor to G-Bike, the upcoming action RPG boasts an impressive amount of optional minigames for players to engage with- but in the lead up to its release, none have caught the eye the way Queen’s Blood has.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has almost 30 minigames, including one developed by an internal team of "hardcore card game fans."

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is just a few days away from its PlayStation 5 launch, but the rave critic reviews have already kicked up the hype even further. Our Kai Powell rated the game with a perfect score, and the average review score from critics is the highest for the whole series since 2000's Final Fantasy IX.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's director has credited an unlikely live-action Disney remake for inspiring the team's work on reimagining the classic 1997 JRPG.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's director says that reaching a Metacritic score of over 90 was one of the development team's goals when crafting the second part of Cloud's story. 

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is less than a week away from launch now, and excitement surrounding it is sky-high, especially with reviews for the action RPG having recently gone live across a wide number of outlets, and the consensus being best described as universal acclaim. Currently, the game has a score of 93 on Metacritic (making it the series’ second-highest rated game to date), and that, as it turns out, was explicitly one of the goals that its development team was working towards.

Your adventure beyond Midgar begins in just over a week when Final Fantasy VII Rebirth launches on PS5 February 29. You may have taken your first steps into that wider world already, thanks to the recent demo, or marveled at that expanse via the State of Play dedicated to the game. And what sights there are. Sprawling, densely detailed open areas and cityscapes, redesigned character models, reimagined threats and new enemies, side-quests and mini-games galore. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth packs a lot in.