Square Enix may switch to Unreal Engine 5 for the development of the final part of its Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy.
Naoki Hamaguchi, director of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, told CG World Japan that the company wanted to weigh the pros and cons of keeping Unreal Engine 4 versus switching to Epic's newer engine.
As noted by X user Genki, Hamaguchi said he thinks what players want most is for Square Enix to ship the finished game in good condition as soon as possible.
With this in mind, the company will evaluate whether switching to Unreal Engine 5 is likely to speed up development.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake was released for PS4 in April 2020. Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade, an enhanced version of the game that included a DLC expansion titled Episode Intermission, was released for PS5 in June 2021. And Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth was released in February 2024.
Hamaguchi said Rebirth's development took four years, parallel to Final Fantasy 7 Intergrade.
Yoshinori Kitase, producer of the Final Fantasy 7 remake series, previously said he hoped to complete the final installment of the trilogy in a similar timeframe to the second game.
The original Final Fantasy 7 will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2027.
Square Enix President Takashi Kiryu said in April that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Final Fantasy 16 and Foamstars all sold worse than expected.