Just a couple of days ago, Square Enix confirmed rumors that copies of Final Fantasy VII Remake would arrive later than anticipated due to COVID-19. However, it appears they made a quick executive decision to rectify that. Physical copies of the game will now ship earlier than anticipated, in order to make it to those who ordered it by its intended release date of April 10th. But there’s an interesting side effect of this. Due to different timelines for different distribution channels, Final Fantasy VII Remake will likely arrive early for people in Europe and Australia.
Square Enix noted that while those looking forward to the game in America and other regions will likely not receive the game early, this change in shipping will allow them to receive it by the release date. Director Tetsuya Nomura and producer Yoshinori Kitase took to Twitter to announce this change in plans on the official Final Fantasy VII Remake Twitter account. In addition to outlining this decision, they asked for one small favor:
If you get the game early, please think of others and don’t spoil it for them. We know there are potential spoilers that have been out there for over two decades as the original FINAL FANTASY VII was released in 1997. But FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE is a new game that still has many surprises for everyone. All our fans and players deserve to experience the game for themselves, and we ask for the support of our dedicated community around the world to ensure that.
As noted, Final Fantasy VII Remake is derived from a game that’s been out for a while, and many people, even those who haven’t played the game, have likely heard something about its various plot events. That being said, the remake isn’t the exact same game, and it seems likely that some events may play out differently than anticipated. In a recent interview, Kitase and co-director Naoki Hamaguchi went over how the remake will reimagine Midgar, the city at the center of the game.
