Square Enix recently made a strange claim in a Q&A about Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, stating it's not necessary to play Final Fantasy 7 Remake to fully enjoy Rebirth. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is the sequel to Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and both titles are part of what will become a trilogy. However, fans are worried if the series will be heading in the right direction.Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth creators have been participating in a Q&A on Final Fantasy 7’s official Twitter account that answers fans’ questions regarding the sequel. According to the responses in the Q&A, players will have more freedom in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, experience a myriad of different stories, and witness a chain of narrative developments while discovering each character’s fate. Motomu Toriyama, co-director of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, has claimed that fans do not need to play Final Fantasy 7 Remake to enjoy the sequel. Toriyama said the team "has made preparations" to make it possible to enjoy it without playing the first game.
New players and fans who missed out on Final Fantasy 7 Remake may still enjoy the sequel, especially since Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will create a new timeline that could break the universe in more ways than one. However, many fans were left confused and concerned after Toriyama’s comment. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is the second game in the trilogy, so fans do not understand how it will be possible to fully enjoy it without playing Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Fans believe that Toriyama’s comment was seemingly made to not negatively impact potential sales.
This is not the only occurrence of Square Enix attempting to cater its Final Fantasy franchise to a broad audience. Recently, a producer behind Final Fantasy 16 discussed the idea of dropping numerals from the games in an effort to attract new fans who may be confused by them and feel obligated to play the series in order. Its decision to remove turn-based combat from Final Fantasy titles for real-time combat also divided its player base. Although it makes sense from a business perspective, Square Enix may unknowingly be alienating its long-time fans. Nevertheless, the Final Fantasy franchise remains one of the most popular in history.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is currently in development for PlayStation 5.