Recently, Final Fantasy 7 director Tetsuya Nomura teased an announcement coming for the game's 25th anniversary. News on the FF7 Remake front has been quiet lately, with the latest big development being the game coming to PC via Epic Games Store, which has led to some fun mods coming to the PC version of the game. However, that will likely change when this next announcement comes in June.
There has been a good bit of speculation around what this announcement could be, but nothing has yet been confirmed by Nomura himself or Square Enix. With the announcement coming on the 25th anniversary of Final Fantasy 7's original release, it's likely to be about what's next for FF7 and its various remakes and spin-offs. However, with Final Fantasy 16 rumored to release this year, it's entirely possible that this announcement could instead be a trailer and release date for FF16, instead.
Overall, there seem to be four strong possibilities for what Nomura's big announcement could be teasing. Some, like an update on Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2 or a new trailer for Final Fantasy 16, could be met with a strong reception by many fans. Others, like the unfortunately real possibility that the news is just more updates coming to maligned spin-off Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier, could also be met with backlash.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2 News Could Be Coming
While it has only been two years since FF7 Remake was released, and less than a year since the upgraded version, Final Fantasy 7: Intergrade, was released, the Final Fantasy 7 Remake: Intermission DLC set up a sequel with an extra post-credits scene showing the group's journey to the town Kalm. This scene has made fans even more excited to get more news about the next part of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake saga. Despite the excitement, though, it's unlikely that much will be shown beyond a possible trailer.
Because of how recently Final Fantasy 7 Remake and its Intermission DLC was released, it's likely still a bit too early for a release date reveal quite yet. If the remake followed the original's footsteps closely, it's possible a second part could come this year. However, with major overhauls to both the gameplay, and the remake diverging from the original Final Fantasy 7 story, much more work would need to go into the second part of FF7 Remake than some other remakes might need.
Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis Updates Could be Announced
Announced in February 2021, Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis is a remake more faithful to the original games in both gameplay and story than FF7 Remake. Releasing on mobile, Ever Crisis is planned to drop in monthly installments and be free-to-play with loot boxes available for purchase. The game will follow the timeline of the original game, while also having sections dedicated to other entries in the Final Fantasy 7 universe, such as Crisis Core, Advent Children, and Dirge of Cerberus.
Following its announcement, Square Enix revealed that Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis would launch September 2022. Despite this, there hasn't been any major gameplay showcase for the game. A celebration for the original game's anniversary would be a perfect time to solidify Ever Crisis for a certain release date, or at least show more footage off for the anticipated mobile remake.
FF7 Anniversary Announcements - More Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier
Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier is another mobile game that could get some announcements at the 25th-anniversary event. The game has been poorly received by some in the Final Fantasy community but has solid reviews on the Apple App Store. Square Enix seems dedicated to keep updating the game with new content to try and keep fans invested, too. Recently, Final Fantasy 7: First Soldier added Crisis Core character, Zach, as a new skin as part of the game's second season.
Because of the continued support Square Enix has given to the game, it's not out of the realm of possibility that the announcement Nomura is teasing is actually just a new update for The First Soldier. It could even be a new update like the Crisis Core update in season 2. Square Enix definitely has plenty of material to pull from, with Advent Children not being out of the realm of possibility. Due to this announcement being one that is specifically being teased as a 25th-anniversary reveal for FF7, though, it's unlikely that an update to a mobile game would be what Nomura is going to reveal.
FF7 Anniversary Announcement Could Be Final Fantasy 16 Related
Although the announcement is for Final Fantasy 7's 25th anniversary, the announcement content doesn't necessarily need to be Final Fantasy 7 related, as long as it is Final Fantasy related. Because of this, it is not out of the realm of possibility that the announcement could be a gameplay trailer of Final Fantasy 16. With Final Fantasy 16 news having been delayed for a while, a trailer that includes a look at gameplay and maybe even a release date isn't out of the realm of possibility.
Even though it isn't impossible, the likelihood that the anniversary announcement is related to Final Fantasy 16 is pretty unlikely. With there being so many Final Fantasy 7 projects in development, it's more probable that one of the other three projects mentioned will be what's shown off instead. There have also been talks of other projects in the works. Nothing has been confirmed yet, but some rumors include NFTs of Cloud and the whole FF7 team, with Square Enix seemingly focusing on NFTs in 2022.
The Final Fantasy franchise has a big announcement coming in June for Final Fantasy 7's 25th anniversary, and it is likely one of four things. It could be a new trailer for one of Final Fantasy 7's two big remake projects: Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2 or Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis. It could also simply be an update for FF7's mobile game spinoff The First Soldier. It could even be something completely unrelated to FF7, like a release date trailer for Final Fantasy 16. Either way, fans of Final Fantasy 7 will definitely get something to look forward to next month.