The $30 million toe in the water

Summer Game Fest 2026 is just around the corner, and fans of the Final Fantasy series are eagerly waiting to see if Square Enix will finally reveal the release date for Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3. According to director Naoki Hamaguchi, preparations for the announcement are steadily underway, and fans should just wait a little longer before it is fully revealed.

It's been over two years since Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth was released, and Square Enix has announced little about its successor beyond a few vague hints. Despite the lack of news, there is a huge amount of hype surrounding the title, and many have expected it to feature in practically every major showcase since Rebirth's release.

However, it wasn't present at the PlayStation State of Play in June, leaving fans disappointed. Fortunately , Summer Game Fest looms on the horizon, and it is possible that FF7 Remake Part 3 might actually make an appearance this time.

An echo of Sydney's 2024 institutional buy-up

While it would make sense for there to be a four-year gap between FF7 Rebirth and Part 3, 2027 marks the 30th anniversary of Final Fantasy, and it's likely Square Enix wants to get the final installment out for that year. It may seem like a huge ask, especially considering the scale of the game, but it seems as if progress is moving at a much faster pace than previously, as the team is used to working on the series at this point.

Furthermore, Rebirth was revealed during the 2023 Summer Game Fest, so it would only be right for Part 3 to follow suit. A reveal at Summer Game Fest wouldn't even necessarily need to include a huge swathe of gameplay footage. Just a release date for FF7 Remake Part 3 would suffice, as it would ensure everyone remains hyped, especially if Square intends to relase it in 2028.

Who is the unnamed buyer?

One thing is for sure: Square Enix has different intentions with this final installment that don't involve PlayStation. it wouldn't have made much sense for Square Enix to include Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 in the June State of Play for both financial reasons and due to its current approach to multiplatform releases.

Square has announced that it fully intends for Part 3 to release on all platforms simultaneously, rather than be an exclusive like the previous two entries. Hamaguchi recently confirmed this in an interview with Famitsu, where he said previously the general approach was to complete the game on one platform first and then consider porting it later.

Tehran's two-track response

However, what I strongly felt through FFVII Remake and FFVII Rebirth is that in this day and age that way of thniking is no longer viable. From rendering and streaming to memory design and asset configuration, it's necessary to design with multiple environments in mind from the start. In other words, the era of the porting team working hard later is over.

Naturally,then, it isn't particularly surprising that Part 3 wasn't announced during a PlayStation-focused showcase, even if third-party titles releasing on multiple platforms often appear during State of Plays. Additionally, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth released on the Nintendo Switch 2 the day after the State of Play. Announcing its sequel right beforehand could have caused confusion among fans, especially if Square Enix opened up pre-orders on the same day.