The director behind the upcoming Final Fantasy 7 Revelation has opened up about the unlikely inspirations shaping the trilogy’s grand finale, pointing to CD Projekt Red’s The Witcher 3 as a game he returned to time and again during development. In an interview with GameSpot, Naoki Hamaguchi explained that while Final Fantasy 6 left a deep impression on him as a young player, it was The Witcher 3 that most influenced his approach as a game creator. He said he frequently revisited the 2015 open-world RPG throughout the Remake series’ development, studying what made it so effective at merging storytelling with interactive gameplay.
Hamaguchi emphasized that the Remake team deliberately avoided treating cutscenes as the sole vehicle for narrative payoff. Instead, they looked at how titles like The Witcher 3 and Guerrilla Games’ Horizon series wove cinematic moments directly into their gameplay mechanics. According to Hamaguchi, certain satisfying moments can only be achieved through the interactive nature of video games, and replicating that feeling became a central goal for the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy.
Set for an April 2027 launch on PC and consoles, Revelation promises to be the most ambitious entry in the series yet, boasting what Square Enix describes as a “planetary scale” world. The game will serve as the concluding chapter of the Remake saga, bringing Cloud and his allies’ battle against Sephiroth to its epic conclusion. Hands-on previews from Gamescom have already hinted at the sheer scope of its expanded open-world design.
Beyond the main storyline, Revelation will also feature beloved side activities from the original 1997 game — most notably, snowboarding. As GameSpot reports, the iconic Golden Saucer minigame is making its return, and Hamaguchi hinted that Square Enix is well aware of the high expectations surrounding it. Every party member will participate in the snowboarding section, but the real intrigue centers on fan-favorite Red XIII.
Hamaguchi teased that Red XIII — the four-legged, fire-maned beast also known as Nanaki — will not be riding a snowboard like the rest of the cast. Whatever alternative ride Square Enix has cooked up for him, the director believes it will generate significant attention. The character has already become a scene-stealer across Remake and Rebirth, charming players with comedic moments like disguising himself to enter a card tournament and reuniting with his adoptive family at Cosmo Canyon.
With The Witcher 3 itself receiving a major remastered edition later this month and its own new expansion on the horizon, the creative cross-pollination between these beloved RPG franchises continues to come full circle. For Final Fantasy fans, the wait for Revelation’s definitive conclusion is getting shorter — and if Hamaguchi’s vision holds, the final chapter may deliver the kind of cinematic, player-driven experience that the team has been building toward since 2020.