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Naoki Hamaguchi
Naoki Hamaguchi is the director of Final Fantasy VII Revelation, the concluding chapter of the Final Fantasy VII Remake series, scheduled for release in spring 2027. He is set to appear at gamescom Opening Night Live on August 26, 2026, where new footage will be shown.
Synthesized from 5
Yomimono stories · updated
Aug 10
Naoki Hamaguchi directed the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy, which concludes with Final Fantasy VII Revelation. The game was announced at Summer Game Fest 2026, and Hamaguchi has since been the public face of the project, appearing in interviews and scheduled for gamescom Opening Night Live on August 26, 2026. The game is set for spring 2027 on Nintendo Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Windows, Steam, and Epic Games Store.
Hamaguchi said the series is selling several times more than expected following the announcement. In an interview with Automaton, he noted strong responses from over 30 media interviews in North America and Europe, plus additional interviews in China, and described the PC market in Simplified Chinese-speaking regions as incredibly strong. He credited user feedback from Rebirth for changes like skippable mini-games and adjusted rewards. He also said the development team retained over 90% of its staff across the trilogy, which surprised overseas observers.
At the Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival 2026 in Berlin, Hamaguchi and Naoki Yoshida discussed remakes of other titles. Hamaguchi cited Final Fantasy 6 as his reason for entering the industry, but said media often misreports such answers as remake announcements. Yoshida suggested a Final Fantasy 6, 8, or 9 remake could span four or five parts. Hamaguchi reflected on the decade-long development of the trilogy, crediting team stability, and cautioned against casually committing to a similar undertaking.
Key facts
- Role
- Director of Final Fantasy VII Revelation, the concluding chapter of the Final Fantasy VII Remake series ↗
- Release window
- Spring 2027 ↗
- Platforms
- Nintendo Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Windows, Steam, and Epic Games Store ↗
- gamescom appearance
- Scheduled to appear at gamescom Opening Night Live on August 26, 2026, where new footage will be shown ↗
- Sales comment
- Said the series is selling several times more than expected following the announcement ↗
- Team retention
- Said the development team retained over 90% of its staff across the trilogy ↗
- Physical release
- Said Square Enix is positively considering a physical package for Revelation, though platform regulations and media capacity are under discussion ↗
- Fan Festival panel
- Appeared with Naoki Yoshida at the Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival 2026 in Berlin, where he cited Final Fantasy 6 as his reason for entering the game industry ↗
Timeline
Synthesized by Yomimono from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself
sourced, then editorially reviewed. Every
fact links the story it came from.
Facts
- Noted
- Hamaguchi cited Final Fantasy 6 as his reason for entering the game industry · 2026-08-04
- Noted
- Director Naoki Hamaguchi said in February that the team plans to share more information this year · 2026-06-02
Connections
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Claim activity
When a claim about Naoki Hamaguchi was confirmed, debunked, or disputed against
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- Confirmed Naoki Hamaguchi directs Final Fantasy VII Remake Jun 19 · source
All coverage
Aug 7
Square Enix will show new footage of Final Fantasy VII Revelation, the concluding chapter of the Final Fantasy VII Remake series, during gamescom Opening Night Live on August 26 at 3:00 AM JST. Director Naoki Hamaguchi is scheduled to appear at the event, which is hosted by Geoff Keighley. The game was first announced during Summer Game Fest 2026 in June. Revelation features an open world that players explore from the airship Highwind, with destinations including Midgar's outskirts, green islands, and the ninja nation of Wutai. Characters parachute from the Highwind to reach these areas. The story reunites the party around Cloud to save the planet. New gameplay elements include a Weight Mode that slows time for strategic action selection, and a Wear System where costumes grant special abilities. The game is scheduled for release in spring 2027 on Nintendo Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Windows, Steam, and Epic Games Store. Hamaguchi posted on X that he looks forward to showing what the team has prepared.
Aug 4
Square Enix director Naoki Hamaguchi said the Final Fantasy VII Remake series is selling several times more than expected following the announcement of Final Fantasy VII Revelation at Summer Game Fest 2026. In an interview with Automaton, Hamaguchi said the official announcement and trailer received a very good response, with over 30 media interviews in North America and Europe plus additional interviews in China. He noted that the PC market, particularly in Simplified Chinese-speaking regions, has become incredibly strong, comparable to English-speaking regions. Hamaguchi also discussed how user feedback from Final Fantasy VII Rebirth influenced development of the new title, including making mini-games skippable and adjusting rewards. He said the development team has retained over 90% of its staff across the trilogy, a fact that surprised overseas observers. Regarding physical releases, Hamaguchi said he personally favors physical versions and that Square Enix is positively considering a physical package for Final Fantasy VII Revelation, though platform regulations and media capacity are under discussion. Final Fantasy VII Revelation is scheduled for release in spring 2027 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.
Aug 4
Naoki Yoshida, producer of Final Fantasy 16 and Final Fantasy 14 at Square Enix, said during a talk panel at the Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival 2026 in Berlin that remaking Final Fantasy 6 or Final Fantasy 8 could result in a four-part or five-part series. The panel, held July 25-26, featured Yoshida and Final Fantasy 7 Remake director Naoki Hamaguchi discussing games that influenced them. Hamaguchi cited Final Fantasy 6 as his reason for entering the game industry, but noted that media often misreports such answers as an announcement of a remake. Yoshida responded that he understands the desire for remakes of other Final Fantasy titles following Final Fantasy 7, but the scale of such projects is considerable. He mentioned Final Fantasy 6, Final Fantasy 8, and Final Fantasy 9 as examples, suggesting a remake could become a four-part series, or five parts if done poorly. Hamaguchi reflected on the decade-long development of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy, crediting his team's stability for allowing the project to reach completion, and cautioned against casually committing to a similar undertaking.
Jun 17
A post from 2015 by X user Caleb correctly predicted the third title in the Final Fantasy VII remake series, Revelation, before the first remake was released. The post also came close on the second title, Rebirth, and loosely matched the first game's full name. The prediction resurfaced after Square Enix announced Revelation at Summer Game Fest 2026.
Jun 2
Game Spark reports that the third installment of Final Fantasy VII Remake, along with Persona 4 Revival and Ace Combat 8, may receive updates at June 2026 game events including Summer Game Fest, State of Play, and the Xbox Games Showcase. Director Naoki Hamaguchi said in February that the team plans to share more information this year.