Final Fantasy SHOCK: PC is NOW the Lead Platform?! What Will Happen?

Big news for PC gamers! It looks like Square Enix is finally taking PC gaming seriously, and I, for one, am ecstatic. For years, we've been stuck with ports that felt like afterthoughts, arriving long after the console versions and often lacking the polish we expect from a AAA title. But the winds are shifting, and it sounds like they're blowing directly towards our gaming rigs.

Final Fantasy SHOCK: PC is NOW the Lead Platform?!...

According to Naoki Hamaguchi, director of the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy, the PC is now the "lead platform" for development. Let that sink in. The lead platform. That means the team is building the game with PC specs in mind first, and then scaling down for consoles. This is a complete 180 from the previous approach, and it promises a much better experience for us PC players.

Hamaguchi explained in a recent interview that they're creating "3D assets at the highest quality level based on PC as the foundation." We've already seen glimpses of this with the PC version of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. The graphical fidelity was noticeably better, and now we know why. Apparently, this philosophy will continue for the third installment, which is fantastic news.

What's driving this change? Well, Hamaguchi pointed to the booming PC gaming market, especially internationally. While PC gaming is growing in Japan, the global surge has definitely caught Square Enix's attention. The strong performance of the recent Final Fantasy VII Remake games on Steam and the Epic Games Store probably didn't hurt either. Money talks, after all, and it's clearly talking to Square Enix.

Of course, there's still a question mark hanging over release dates. Will we still have to wait months, or even over a year, after the console launch to get our hands on the PC version? History suggests that could be the case. The previous releases have all followed that pattern. Here's hoping the "lead platform" status translates into a more simultaneous release. We'll have to wait and see.

Hamaguchi also touched on the challenges of developing for different consoles, particularly the PS4, Switch 2, and Xbox Series S. He mentioned compromises like lower frame rates and reduced NPC counts to accommodate the limitations of these platforms. He even highlighted the Xbox Series S's memory limitations as requiring specific optimizations, while praising the "ample memory" of the Switch 2. It's fascinating to get this behind-the-scenes glimpse into the development process.

Despite these challenges, the development of the third part of the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy is reportedly "progressing very smoothly," and the team is "almost exactly on schedule." So, while we might have to wait a bit longer for the final chapter, at least we know it's in good hands, and being built with PC gamers in mind from the very beginning. Finally, the PC is getting the Final Fantasy love it deserves!