One of the biggest controversies to hit theFinal Fantasy 7 Remakewhen it was first announced was the news that it would be releasing in episodes rather than as one single game like the original. Early on, this was bigger than the update combat system looking more likeFinal Fantasy 15thanFinal Fantasy 7,Tifa’s design change, and all the other minor concerns.
Since the initial announcement and the ensuing backlash, Square Enix has been surprisingly quiet aboutEpisode 2or any episodes coming after the initial release. This has left fans in the dark about when they can expect to continue their journey in theFinal Fantasy 7 Remakeafter having fought all the way through the newly expanded Midgar.
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With so much news aboutFinal Fantasy 7slowly being drip fed as the March 3rd release date approaches, the only information we have is thatEpisode 2is in development. So that begs the question of when any more information onEpisode 2will be released and how far this next section will take players through the story ofFinal Fantasy 7?
What we know about Episode 1
So far, everything that’s been released forFinal Fantasy 7has been aboutEpisode 1, which reportedly takes place entirely in Midgar, the opening area of the original game. To accommodate for the episodic presentation of the remake, the story has been changed andbosses have been addedin order to extend this opening section into a full length game.
One of the biggest changes is in the combat system that leans closer toFinal Fantasy 15, with fast paced action on the forefront, but still utilizing magic and summons. Havingsummons appear in Midgaris another change that was made necessary by the bounds of the first episode.
Where will Episode 2 end?
The originalFinal Fantasy 7was a long game with dozens of storylines that could easily be expanded on the way thatEpisode 1’s Midgar journey is being altered to make a full game. Considering the course of events that follows Midgar, it’s likely thatEpisode 2will end with the City of the Ancients and the fate of a certain character. Drawing from the original, that would be the best place for an episode’s finale.
This would be shoving a lot more content intoEpisode 2than made it intoEpisode 1, but that would just mean that Square Enix wouldn’t have to add too much more content in order to makeEpisode 2the same length asEpisode 1. However, the only other meaningful place to end would be Cloud giving up the Black Materia, which takes place even further into the story.
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When will Episode 2 be announced?
It’s likely that Square Enix is still trying to distance themselves from the stigma of releasing theFinal Fantasy 7 Remakein episodes as opposed to a single game. SoEpisode 2, while a known entity, likely won’t be announced until some time afterEpisode 1has been released. This means news might not be coming until early or mid march, although there is a chance that it’ll be even longer than that.
The periodic trailers forEpisode 1have been dropping with enough consistency to keep the hype train rolling, like the trailer thatpremiered at The Game Awards. So, while an obvious choice for anEpisode 2announcement would be E3, a few months afterEpisode 1releases, it’s much more likely to drop with a trailer during a 2020 State of Play. Regardless of how soon afterEpisode 1releases Square Enix decides to announceEpisode 2, the announcement likely won’t come until after March 3rd.
However, if Square Enix were to throw fans a bone, there’s a chance it’ll be revealed at a rumored PlayStation event in February. It seems unlikely, but doing so would begin the hype train sooner, meaning it may entice more fans to pick up the first entry.
When will Episode 2 be released?
Fans of the franchise can judge by the trends already set by Square Enix with bothFinal Fantasy 15andKingdom Hearts 3with how long it took for those games to release their Episodes and DLC to determine a likely timeline. In the case ofKingdom Hearts 3,Re:Mindhas just been given anofficial release datethat clocks in at a year after the base game released in 2019.Final Fantasy 15, however, released its first DLC episode only about four months after the release of the base game.
In the case ofRe:Mind, it’s possible that Square Enix didn’t start working on the DLC until either late into the processes ofKingdom Hearts 3’s development, or after. Compared toFinal Fantasy 15’sEpisode Gladiolus, which was developed side by side with the base game, it makes sense that it came out faster. What this could mean for theFinal Fantasy 7 Remakeis that sinceEpisode 2is already in development, it may be coming at theFinal Fantasy 15pace, but considering the size of each episode, it might lean closer to theRe:Mindrelease window.
With all of this information together, the most likely release window forFinal Fantasy 7 Episode 2would be late Summer 2020, possibly some time in August or September. It should be noted that this is all speculation, and it is entirely possible thatEpisode 2won’t release until Holiday 2020 or even early 2021.
Final Fantasy 7 Remakeis set to release on March 3rd, 2020 with limited exclusivity for PS4.
