Just the day after we got rumours saying that Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth launches this year for both Switch 2 and Xbox Series S/X, project director Naoki Hamaguchi offered more details on its development, even if Square Enix doesn't commit to a release window as of yet (after all, the impressive Final Fantasy VII: Remake Intergrade just released on those platforms).
Speaking about the Nintendo Switch 2 version at the official Nintendo site, Hamaguchi-san firstly praised the current game's handheld experience and explained how it compares to the more traditional FF on TV:
"The first thing, and maybe this comes from my place as a gamer and a fan", he says asked about what surprised him about the platform, "was that it was really touching to see the game running beautifully on Nintendo Switch 2 for the first time. When we saw the game running in handheld mode, just looking at that and how it changed the gaming experience was actually quite surprising. We're used to making console games where the experience involves having a controller in your hand and a TV in front of you. There's also a bit of distance between the player and the visuals and sound coming from the TV screen. Having everything together in a form that's much closer to the player really changes the overall feel of it".
Later on, when asked directly about "other titles in the Final Fantasy VII remake trilogy" on Switch 2, he added the following:
"There's not a huge amount of information I can share in terms of future games, but I can reassure players that we're working on the Nintendo Switch 2 version of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the second game in the series, and the third game too. They are being worked on for Nintendo Switch 2 alongside the other platforms right now".
"One thing to reassure the fans who want to play these games on Nintendo Switch 2: I've got a personal policy where I don't want to make any versions of my games different or offer a different gameplay experience just because they're on different hardware. That might get confusing for players, and they might wonder which version of the game they should buy. That's something I'd very much like to avoid. The Nintendo Switch 2 versions are being developed in a way that keeps the gameplay experience pretty much exactly the same as all the other platforms, so I hope this reassures Nintendo Switch 2 players."
What do you think about Hamaguchi-san's "personal policy"? And given this statement, do you think that Final Fantasy VII Remake: Part 3 will release on PS5, PC, Xbox Series, and Nintendo Switch 2 simultaneously?