The Game’s Already in Development, but Square Enix Is Moving People Around
Looks like the heads over at Square Enix are shifting gears a little. While the company is always working on several projects at once, it’s no surprise that they’d take special care with their Final Fantasy VII Remake. But, up until recently, they were relying on an external group of devs. No longer; Square Enix is transferring development in-house.
During a livestream for Mobius Final Fantasy, the game’s Project Lead, Naoki Hamaguchi, announced that he would be taking over the project. You may also remember him as the main programmer for Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII:
“The information is already available online, but I’ve taken charge on the development side for Final Fantasy VII Remake,” stated Hamaguchi. “As for the whole story, (it’s a sensitive topic, but) until now, development was moving forward with external cooperation, but the company has decided to shift to an internal setup, including mass production and quality, because we want to control everything, including quality, on a stable schedule. (I won’t be leaving Mobius Final Fantasy.)
During the livestream, Hamaguchi also commented on the company job listings; they were specifically seeking battle and level planners; background, motion, and video effects designers; and a programmer. Apparently, these listing are the result of shifting to in-house development for FFVII.
Hamaguchi added via NovaCrystallis:
“So far, development has been carried out mainly with the support of external partners. However, in view of factors such as improving quality when the product goes into mass production in the future, the company has decided to shift the developmental system back to within the company, so as to maintain a stable schedule and have control over factors such as quality.
“We will be forming a robust system within the company to properly carry out the development.”
Judging by the change-up and job listings, the Final Fantasy VII Remake will need some time for completion. According to Square Enix, the game will be ready within the next three years.
Obviously, Final Fantasy VII is a big name and a big undertaking. However, once the team is locked down and in-house production begins, we can probably expect a straight development path to a quality game. But what do you think? let us know in the comments below.
Happy gaming.