GamesRPGFinal Fantasy 7"We can’t go on making games in this way": Final Fantasy 7’s development was so chaotic, Tetsuya Nomura says it changed how the team approaches gamesWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesRPGFinal Fantasy 7"We can’t go on making games in this way": Final Fantasy 7’s development was so chaotic, Tetsuya Nomura says it changed how the team approaches gamesWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Square-Enix)
Final Fantasy 7’s original developers have admitted the original game’s production was so chaotic that they knew things had to change going forward for future games in the series.
Game Informerhas recently interviewed both Yoshinori Kitase and Tetsuya Nomura about the development of the original Final Fantasy 7, and both don’t paint a pretty picture. Nomura, for one, remembers coming into the Square offices and sometimes not knowing what to expect.
“There were scripts and then suddenly things that are not even in the script that the character is now saying in the game that we’ve never even heard of,” Nomura recalls. “Some departments just wanted to include the character saying these things. It was that kind of world then.”
What might have saved Final Fantasy 7, director Kitase remembers, is the fact that he worked closely with writer Kazushige Nojima to make sure everything made sense. “There were teams working on each character and the things that they say in the storyline, but then overall, Nojima-san was the final reviewer,” Kitase says.
“That’s bringing the whole storyline together. That practice was carried on for future titles to have that cohesion. But besides that, it was sort of an ‘anything goes’ type of world then,” the former Final Fantasy 7 director and currentFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthproducer remembers.
Final Fantasy 7’s development was so chaotic that Square’s own staff knew they couldn’t continue making games like this: “After we had finished working on 7, we thought to ourselves, ‘We can’t go on making games in this way,'” says Nomura of the turbulent period.
And so they did change. Beginning with Final Fantasy 8, Square’s developers started an approach where teams would now collaborate with one another instead of sneaking work into a game without first seeking the approval of a wider audience or someone senior in the development pipeline.
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Obviously, Final Fantasy 7 turned out to be received rather well, in spite of its distraught development. So well, in fact, thatSquare Enixis in the midst of dedicating an entire trilogy of games to remake it for an adoring fanbase nearly three decades after it came out.
Speaking of, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth launches next month on February 29, exclusively forPS5.
You can read up on ourupcoming PS5 gamesguide for a look ahead at all the other exclusivesSonyhas lined up for the year.
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Planescape: Torment was a revolutionary RPG, but many of its devs had no experience with the D&D campaign it was based on: “What the f*ck is that?”
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GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2
Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3
Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
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Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
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Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
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4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
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Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1
Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
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Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
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Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
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4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5
Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”