Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 Swapping to UE5 “Would Have Risked Our Own Progress,” Says Director

by

Many game series, like Cyberpunk, The Witcher, and Halo, are moving to Unreal Engine 5. However, the team behind Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 is still using Unreal Engine 4. Director Naoki Hamaguchi has said that sticking with what they know is more helpful, and the timing of Unreal Engine 5’s release also played a role in their decision.

During an interview with Automaton Media, the developer acknowledged that people often assume a higher version number means something is more advanced, and he agreed that’s generally true. He explained that when development began on Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Unreal Engine 5 was just about to be released.

As a huge fan, what really blows me away about Unreal Engine 5 compared to the last version is the lighting system, called Lumen, and this new technology called Nanite. Nanite lets developers create scenes with insane levels of detail – seriously, it’s a game changer! Both of these features seem to be where graphics technology is heading, and that’s super exciting for anyone who loves visually stunning games.

We made the decision to build Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth on Unreal Engine 4 instead of waiting for Unreal Engine 5. Tying our development to the release of a new engine could have caused delays if the engine wasn’t ready on time, and we wanted to avoid that risk. Plus, we’ve created our own graphics technology, which gives us more control over optimization and makes it easier to release the game on different platforms.

Building on the work done with Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will help us improve the third game in the series. Instead of starting over with Unreal Engine 5, it’s much more practical to continue using Unreal Engine 4, which we already know well. This lets us refine our process and apply what we learned while making Rebirth to the final game.

Considering everything, we decided sticking with Unreal Engine 4 would deliver the best experience for players in the next game. I didn’t expect the decision to get so much attention – it’s been surprisingly well-received, which is great!

We’re building the next game using the technology and tools we developed for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and we’re continuing to improve upon them. Because of this, we’re confident the quality will remain high, and we’re striving to make it even better. Development is going very well.

The length of time between game releases is a key factor here. Final Fantasy 7 Remake came out in April 2020 for PlayStation 4, and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth followed in February 2024 for PS5. Now, about two years after that, Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 is nearly finished, and although it’s expected to launch in 2027 or early 2028, it promises to be a huge game with a lot to offer.

If you’re looking for a bigger and better experience, check out Rebirth. It has significantly more content and much larger areas to explore than the original game. Plus, it features the new Highwind, enhanced graphics, and is available on several different platforms.

Square Enix hasn’t officially said if Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 will be available on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2 from day one, or even what the game’s final title will be, though it seems to be decided. Still, it’s going to be exciting to see how the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy concludes.

Read More

2026-02-26 18:11