For people who are worried about how many parts there are and what the release schedule is, let's consider a few facts.
1) FFVII is a LARGE game. Especially for when it was released. It was a three disc epic. The first disc ended right as you were leaving Midgar and entering the world map. I also don't remember this being "only" five hours. It had it's own disc, and for a reason. It's rather logical that the natural volume dividing line will run along the same lines the original had, as those were natural transitions in the story. So far we see Square Enix respecting this idea in their initial release. (We already know the first installment ends when you leave Midgar, just like with the orginal.) It's a pretty safe bet to say this is going to be a three volume set.
One might be tempted to start talking about expanded content, and how that might increase the number of volumes. However, I doubt seriously that the expanded content is going to change the skeleton of the story. I think this extra content will serve to better flesh things out, and will not change the natural break points in the over all story. This idea is already well served by the fact the first installment is ending at the same point as the first disc.
2) Considering the release schedule. It's easy to get all scared about how long the remaining titles will take to release since this initial release has taken so long. But it's worth considering that the initial release is A LOT MORE WORK than any of the subsequent volumes will be. In the initial release you have to establish art direction, you have to establish game mechanics, you have to build the game engine, you have to develop all of your art assets, you have to get your music score together, you have to find all of your voice actors, they have to get into character. In the subsequent releases you don't have to figure out the game mechanics, the software is in place, all you are doing is generating new content. A lot of this new content reuses assets from the initial release. You don't have to build all the texture maps for all the characters, you don't have to find all of your voice talent (some new ones, but your core is established), you don't have to get them up to speed, and so on. You only have to produce those elements (and we're talking about the primitives here) which are truly unique to the next installments (and more will be the same than different), and most of all of your talent (artists, programmers, actors, so on) are now veterans on this project and will be WAY more efficient at their work, as they aren't stumbling around trying to find their footing, they know what they are doing.
So since there will be less to do, and they'll be better at doing it, they are going to be able to get a lot more done in a lot less time. I wouldn't be at all surprised if they release each new game a year out from the last. Though, I would also not be surprised if they space it out to two years, just to try not to over saturate the market. But I see this as more of a marketing concern than a technical one, because again, all the heavy lifting happens with the first title.
Just to push this further, they have already said they are targeting the entire roll out for the PS4 (since the PS5 can play PS4 games). This makes a lot of sense as you really want to maintain visual continuity throughout the entire project. Also, they get the most asset leverage under that approach. It also means it's very unlikely they are going to drag this out more than they have to, as Sony did continue to sell each of their prior gen consoles into the next gen, but things do start looking long in the tooth if you push that too far. With all of this taken into consideration, I really suspect that by 2022 the entire series is completed as a three volume set.
PS - My thoughts on pricing and roll out.
Honestly I don't care that they are turning this into a three game series. The ENTIRE reason I bought a PS4 was because of THIS title. I have wanted a remake since the PS2 came out. FFVII, in my opinion and the opinion of many others, is the best FF ever made, and I want it done right. If that costs me $180 spread across three games, so be it. Like why does a person buy the PS4 in the first place? To buy just one game for it? Most people buy several titles on any given console. So what if one of the best JRPGs of all time is turned into a trilogy? FFVII is a legend in the JRPG space and it would be truly sad for them to be teasing this for all these years (ever since the PS3 tech demo) to only do a halfhearted update.
Regarding the idea that the original was a single game and not a trilogy. That's really not a fair statement. This isn't like Hollywood turning the Hobbit (the shortest of the middle earth novels) into a three LONG movie trilogy. FFVII is an epic JRPG, there is plenty of opportunity to expand the details without bloating it beyond the capacity of the story. ...and as always, it's in your hands whether or not you investigate every nook and cranny of the world.
If an expanded three volume set is what SE feel they need to do in order to justify the costs of doing the project and so that the market will actually purchase the title to cover their costs, so be it. Like seriously, do you want to live in a world with a modern FFVII or not? In ten years who's going to care that it was a three title $180 series spread over three years, just as long as it was done right? We'll just be happy to have a version of FFVII that doesn't look like a low budget lego stop action film recorded on VHS. On the other hand, if they screw it up, everyone will be mad until the end of time that they had the chance to get it right and fumbled the ball. Knowing, they will never take take another crack at it. (SE is not known for modernizing their library, this is only happening because the FFVII fan base has been so vocal for so long.) Personally I think this entire situation is being handled 100% correctly, and the time and the price are non-considerations, not for the true die hard fans who have been begging this to happen! For everyone else, you guys just hang tight, prices always come down.
Comments 1
Re: Square Enix Explains Decision to Split Final Fantasy VII Remake Into Multiple Games
For people who are worried about how many parts there are and what the release schedule is, let's consider a few facts.
1) FFVII is a LARGE game. Especially for when it was released. It was a three disc epic. The first disc ended right as you were leaving Midgar and entering the world map. I also don't remember this being "only" five hours. It had it's own disc, and for a reason. It's rather logical that the natural volume dividing line will run along the same lines the original had, as those were natural transitions in the story. So far we see Square Enix respecting this idea in their initial release. (We already know the first installment ends when you leave Midgar, just like with the orginal.) It's a pretty safe bet to say this is going to be a three volume set.
One might be tempted to start talking about expanded content, and how that might increase the number of volumes. However, I doubt seriously that the expanded content is going to change the skeleton of the story. I think this extra content will serve to better flesh things out, and will not change the natural break points in the over all story. This idea is already well served by the fact the first installment is ending at the same point as the first disc.
2) Considering the release schedule. It's easy to get all scared about how long the remaining titles will take to release since this initial release has taken so long. But it's worth considering that the initial release is A LOT MORE WORK than any of the subsequent volumes will be. In the initial release you have to establish art direction, you have to establish game mechanics, you have to build the game engine, you have to develop all of your art assets, you have to get your music score together, you have to find all of your voice actors, they have to get into character. In the subsequent releases you don't have to figure out the game mechanics, the software is in place, all you are doing is generating new content. A lot of this new content reuses assets from the initial release. You don't have to build all the texture maps for all the characters, you don't have to find all of your voice talent (some new ones, but your core is established), you don't have to get them up to speed, and so on. You only have to produce those elements (and we're talking about the primitives here) which are truly unique to the next installments (and more will be the same than different), and most of all of your talent (artists, programmers, actors, so on) are now veterans on this project and will be WAY more efficient at their work, as they aren't stumbling around trying to find their footing, they know what they are doing.
So since there will be less to do, and they'll be better at doing it, they are going to be able to get a lot more done in a lot less time. I wouldn't be at all surprised if they release each new game a year out from the last. Though, I would also not be surprised if they space it out to two years, just to try not to over saturate the market. But I see this as more of a marketing concern than a technical one, because again, all the heavy lifting happens with the first title.
Just to push this further, they have already said they are targeting the entire roll out for the PS4 (since the PS5 can play PS4 games). This makes a lot of sense as you really want to maintain visual continuity throughout the entire project. Also, they get the most asset leverage under that approach. It also means it's very unlikely they are going to drag this out more than they have to, as Sony did continue to sell each of their prior gen consoles into the next gen, but things do start looking long in the tooth if you push that too far. With all of this taken into consideration, I really suspect that by 2022 the entire series is completed as a three volume set.
PS - My thoughts on pricing and roll out.
Honestly I don't care that they are turning this into a three game series. The ENTIRE reason I bought a PS4 was because of THIS title. I have wanted a remake since the PS2 came out. FFVII, in my opinion and the opinion of many others, is the best FF ever made, and I want it done right. If that costs me $180 spread across three games, so be it. Like why does a person buy the PS4 in the first place? To buy just one game for it? Most people buy several titles on any given console. So what if one of the best JRPGs of all time is turned into a trilogy? FFVII is a legend in the JRPG space and it would be truly sad for them to be teasing this for all these years (ever since the PS3 tech demo) to only do a halfhearted update.
Regarding the idea that the original was a single game and not a trilogy. That's really not a fair statement. This isn't like Hollywood turning the Hobbit (the shortest of the middle earth novels) into a three LONG movie trilogy. FFVII is an epic JRPG, there is plenty of opportunity to expand the details without bloating it beyond the capacity of the story. ...and as always, it's in your hands whether or not you investigate every nook and cranny of the world.
If an expanded three volume set is what SE feel they need to do in order to justify the costs of doing the project and so that the market will actually purchase the title to cover their costs, so be it. Like seriously, do you want to live in a world with a modern FFVII or not? In ten years who's going to care that it was a three title $180 series spread over three years, just as long as it was done right? We'll just be happy to have a version of FFVII that doesn't look like a low budget lego stop action film recorded on VHS. On the other hand, if they screw it up, everyone will be mad until the end of time that they had the chance to get it right and fumbled the ball. Knowing, they will never take take another crack at it. (SE is not known for modernizing their library, this is only happening because the FFVII fan base has been so vocal for so long.) Personally I think this entire situation is being handled 100% correctly, and the time and the price are non-considerations, not for the true die hard fans who have been begging this to happen! For everyone else, you guys just hang tight, prices always come down.