It’s no surprise that the development and release dates of games have gotten affected by COVID-19. The Last of Us Part II finally got released after multiple delays and Cyberpunk 2077 has gotten pushed back a couple times now as well. At this point it’s practically par for the course. After the release of Final Fantasy VII Remake, people have wondered when part two of the remake will release. Square Enix has said that they plan to announce new games this month, but haven’t confirmed if the second part of Final Fantasy VII Remake will be one of them.
However, in a recent interview with The Guardian, producer Yoshinori Kitase and co-director Naoki Hamaguchi spoke about developing Final Fantasy VII Remake and the work on the sequel. Asked about how COVID-19 has affected development, Kitase explained that the unexpected pandemic blindsided them and expressed sadness for people suffering from the virus and even losing their lives. He elaborated that in response to the pandemic, the team is now working remotely:
At this current time, the team are still making the next game via remote working. Our performance will temporarily drop below 100% efficiency because of this, but I do not think there should be a big impact in the long term. I sincerely hope that Final Fantasy VII Remake can provide those who are forced to endure the stress of living under lockdown a moment of relief and enjoyment in these trying times.
It’s only been a couple of months since Final Fantasy VII Remake released, so it seems the development team may have a ways until they even consider releasing the sequel, pandemic or no. In the interview, Hamaguchi said that the remake almost included a basketball mini-game and Kitase also shared his enjoyment of seeing fans debate the controversial ending online.
