FF7 Rebirth Might Have Almost Doomed Future Final Fantasy Remakes

has generally been a big success among the community, but its impact on the future of the franchise might be a little more complicated. There's no stopping the trilogy train now, and the third game in the franchise can certainly be expected in a few more years. When it comes to other remake prospects in the series, however, a big change in how Square Enix is releasing the games seems like it may be the only hope of keeping things going.

The project has been a huge one from the start, although Square Enix wasn't initially certain whether to develop it as two or three games. Although the original managed everything in one 30-something-hour run, translating the huge world of Gaia to something resembling modern open-world game design significantly balloons things. There's certainly plenty of filler in the new versions, but there's also a staggering amount of bespoke content that makes the intense demands of development obvious.

FF7 Rebirth is an exceptional return to the world of Gaia that leans heavily into its star-studded memorable cast and a classic-but-reimagined story,

The exact sales numbers for haven't been made clear, but one thing that has is that they aren't as exciting as Square Enix was hoping. As reported by, Square Enix president Takashi Kiryu told analysts that is among several titles that have recently fallen short of expectations, along with and Considering how much hype the game generated before launch and the accolades it's received since release, framing it as a disappointment might seem like a surprise, but all the positive reception in the world doesn't always directly translate to sales.

It's a turn from 's release, as Square Enix reported strong performance that brought the first title in the trilogy to 5 million copies sold worldwide several months after its initial release. This wasn't record-breaking for the franchise — managed a nearly miraculous 5 million shipped copies and sales in one day upon its 2016 release — but it's the kind of