Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Skipping DLC Might Be the Best Decision Square Enix Has Made in Years

by

The original Final Fantasy 7, released in 1997, was a large game for its time, needing three whole discs to play. While the story wasn’t exceptionally lengthy, it contained a significant amount of data for a PlayStation game. Now, Square Enix is remaking the game, and it appears they’re sticking with the three-part format. This allows them to really flesh out the world and story, which is great. However, it also means players will have to wait years between each new part of what is essentially a single, very long game.

In 2020, Final Fantasy 7: Remake reimagined the beginning of the classic story, covering roughly the first five hours of the original game. While mostly taking place in the city of Midgar, this version was greatly expanded, offering around 40 to 50 hours of gameplay. Fans then waited four years for the next chapter, Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth, which also concludes with an unfinished storyline. We don’t have a firm release date for the third installment yet, but it’s probably not coming until 2027 or later – meaning another three to four-year wait. Interestingly, the gap between games could have been even longer.

Only a Franchise Like Final Fantasy Can Pull Off This Kind of Wait for One Big Game

Final Fantasy 7 was a huge hit, and it’s become even more well-known over the years. Even people who didn’t play it when it first came out often know the basic story. Characters like Sephiroth and events like Aerith’s fate became famous online in the early 2000s. While many fans experienced the original game, a lot of players are now discovering the story for the first time with Final Fantasy 7: Remake and Rebirth, and the wait has been worth it for them.

The remake of Final Fantasy 7 offers a huge amount of gameplay, and it’s great! Just the first two parts combined can easily take over 200 hours to complete—much longer than the original game’s 40-50 hours. This gives players more time to discover the world and connect with the characters, but it also means the story unfolds much more slowly, which can be difficult with the gap between game releases.

Instead of releasing all three Final Fantasy 7 remakes simultaneously, Square Enix is rolling them out one by one, which is a good way to generate excitement. However, this creates a tricky situation for players. Is it worth starting Final Fantasy 7: Remake and Rebirth knowing the full story won’t be available for several years? If you forget details, you might have to replay over 200 hours of gameplay to get back up to speed when the final installment arrives. We’re used to waiting for sequels, but those often have self-contained stories or helpful reminders. Waiting for the next chapter in a game that’s meant to be experienced as one continuous narrative is a bigger commitment.

As a huge Final Fantasy fan, especially of FF7, I’m not surprised Square Enix is getting away with this whole remake project. We’re so dedicated that we’re happy to wait years for what’s essentially one giant game broken into three parts! Honestly, not many companies could do that and still have fans on board. I heard they almost went with a DLC route for Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth, and that could have been a disaster. They really dodged a bullet there!

Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth Could’ve Had DLC… And A Longer Wait for Part 3

Naoki Hamaguchi, director of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, recently told WCCF Tech that the team had some initial ideas for downloadable content (DLC) following the game’s release. However, Square Enix ultimately decided against creating extra content, prioritizing the development and release of the third game in the remake series instead. Hamaguchi believes this was the right decision, as it delivers what fans wanted most: the next installment as quickly as possible.

Downloadable content, or DLC, is a hot topic in gaming right now. While players generally like getting extra content for games they enjoy, it often comes down to whether the content is good and fairly priced. Recently, there’s been criticism of how DLC is handled – for example, Pokemon Legends: Z-A announced DLC before the main game even released, and Digimon Story: Time Stranger locked some in-game content behind a paywall at launch. Even the bonus content for Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth, while good, felt a bit strange considering the game is part of an unfinished trilogy.

While Remake and Rebirth are huge games, they only represent part of a larger, unfinished story. Releasing additional content for Rebirth before the third and final game comes out would likely upset fans who are eager to see the story concluded. Creating this extra content would also take development time away from the final installment, meaning fans would have to wait even longer. Square Enix hasn’t even announced the title of the final game, let alone a release date, so adding more to the middle of the story before finishing it would probably frustrate players.

Good news for fans of Final Fantasy VII! While downloadable content (DLC) is still a possibility, it won’t be released until after the entire remake trilogy is finished. This allows the developers to offer more substantial content as a reward for completing the story, rather than smaller additions while players wait for the final game. It was a wise decision to focus on completing the third part of the remake without releasing DLC for Rebirth, and it will likely be more satisfying for players in the long run.

What DLC would you like to see added to the Final Fantasy VII remake trilogy? Share your ideas in the comments and join the discussion on the ComicBook Forum!

https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/final-fantasy-7-better-than-final-fantasy-6/embed/#

Read More

2025-10-23 20:12