Between the currentFinal Fantasy 7 Remaketrilogy, the upcomingFinal Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, and the rumors regarding a new version ofFinal Fantasy 9, there is a lot of speculation around what role remakes will play in the franchise’s future. I would welcome Square Enix continuing to release full remakes of olderFinal Fantasytitles, but I do worry about how feasible it would be to do so, at least at the scale ofFF7 Remake. If that’s the plan, then I think Square Enix needs to make one major change going forward.
I’ve been very pleased with recentFinal Fantasyreleases, and I evengaveFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirtha perfect scorein my review. However, it’s hard to ignore the reports thatFF7 Rebirthwas a financial disappointment for Square Enix.This casts doubt on how well futureFinal Fantasyremakes might perform, especially given the inherent advantages it has over some of the other games. While there is a solution, it will take some effort on Square Enix’s part, and they had better start sooner rather than later.
Square Enix Focuses Too Much On Cloud and Sephiroth
Other Final Fantasy Characters Don’t Get The Same Attention
Final Fantasy 7has some of the franchise’s most recognizable characters. While I don’t want to take anything away from theFF7cast,part of this comes down to how frequently they are used as the poster children for theFinal Fantasyfranchise, particularly Cloud and Sephiroth. Both have appeared in multiple crossovers, like theKingdom Heartsseries and inSuper Smash Bros.games as downloadable fighters. Most recently,Magic: The Gathering’sFinal Fantasysetfeatured the pair in its Starter Kit, Cloud appears on the wrapping of Play Booster packs, and Sephiroth is featured on the set’s Bundle.
Cloud and Sephiroth are so ubiquitous, I recently saw aRedditthread by user Immediate_Serve_1057 who said they thoughtFinal Fantasywas similar toThe Legend of Zelda,and that Cloud and Sephiroth were the main characters of all 16 games. At least one user, n0nsonocal, said they had similar thoughts, and had purchasedFF4hoping to find Cloud and Sephiorth “fromKingdom Hearts.” While this is just anecdotal evidence, I do think it’s telling that multiple players thought Cloud and Sephiroth were in ever game, given their popularity.
Although I can understand Square Enix wanting to capitalize on one of their most popular games, it has had the side effect ofpreventing otherFinal Fantasycharacters from reaching the same levels of recognition. While fans of the franchise likely recognize characters likeFF6protagonist Terra orFFXIVvillain Emet-Selch, those who haven’t played anyFinal Fantasygames likely wouldn’t. This could cause a serious issue for futureFinal Fantasyremakes.
Future Final Fantasy Remakes Won’t Have The Same Brand Recognition
FF7’s Characters Were More Recognizable Than Those From Games Like FF9
WhenFinal Fantasy 7 Remakecame out, even players unfamiliar with the original likely recognized Cloud and his iconic Buster Sword. Players who might have enjoyed playing Cloud inSuper Smash Bros.or remembered him andSephiroth fromKingdom Heartsmay have been interested in playing a remake of the game that they originally came from.FutureFinal Fantasyremakes may not have this same advantage.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot in relation to theheavily rumoredFinal Fantasy 9remake. While fans of the original game or other games in the franchise will likely be interested in it, I’m not sure if it will attract the same level of attention from a wider audience asFF7did.Zidane isn’t nearly as recognizable as Cloud, nor has he been featured in as many mainstream crossovers.
Given the praiseFF7 Rebirthearned, it’s possible some of the general gaming audience may simply check out aFinal Fantasy 9remake out of curiosity. Still, withFF7 Rebirthreportedly under-performing, even with the wider recognition of its characters,I can’t help but be concerned about how well anFF9remake would do. To plan ahead for future remakes, there is a strategy Square Enix could try.
Square Enix Should Start Making Other FF Characters More Prominent
Given how long Cloud and Sephiroth have been used as mascots of theFinal Fantasyfranchise, there’s not really a way for Square Enix to completely recreate their popularity. However, that doesn’t mean the company can’ttake some steps towards making their other characters more identifiable ahead of possible remakes. And, to their credit, Square Enix has taken some steps to branch out with otherFinal Fantasycharacters in recent years.
FF15’s Noctis andFF16’s Clive appeared as DLC fighters inTekken 7andTekken 8respectively.FF6’s Terra was prominently featured inMagic: The Gatheringproducts, including on the boxes and wrappers of the Collector Boosters, and helming her own Commander deck.These are good steps in the right direction, but I think Square Enix could take things further.
Square Enix should coordinate which characters they use in promotional materials and crossovers with future remakes. For example, if the company is truly planning aFinal Fantasy 9remake, then they need to start slapping Vivi on more merchandise, or, as much as I wouldn’t love it, stick Zidane and Garnet inFortnite. This could help future remakes have at least some of the same recognition thatFinal Fantasy 7 Remakehad, or, at the very least, let players know thatFinal Fantasyhas a range of great characters besides Cloud and Sephiroth.
