Square Enix has quietly passed a major milestone on the road to finishing its ambitious Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy, with director Naoki Hamaguchi confirming that the title of the third and final game is now “locked” in.
Final Fantasy VII Part 3’s title “has been locked”, director Naoki Hamaguchi has teased.
Speaking in a recent interview with GameSpot, Hamaguchi said the name was decided by creative director Tetsuya Nomura following internal discussions that narrowed the choice down to two options.
While the title itself remains under wraps, the confirmation has fuelled speculation that it will continue the thematic naming convention established by Final Fantasy VII Remake and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, both of which use their subtitles to reflect the trilogy’s meta-narrative about fate and reinvention.
Development on the third entry appears to be progressing smoothly.
Hamaguchi revealed the game is already in a “playable” state, a notable achievement given the scale of the project and the relatively short gap since Rebirth’s release.
He also confirmed that the team has chosen to stick with Unreal Engine 4 rather than moving to Unreal Engine 5, despite earlier consideration of an upgrade.
According to Hamaguchi, Square Enix has heavily customised UE4 over the course of the trilogy, making it a better fit than switching engines late in development.
The decision is also expected to help with performance optimisation across platforms, including the Nintendo Switch 2, where both Remake and Rebirth are being brought with a focus on stable frame rates.
The director also touched on the studio’s cautious use of generative AI, emphasising that it is being explored primarily for repetitive tasks like quality assurance rather than creative decision-making.
The goal, he said, is to reduce developer workload and free up more time for creative problem-solving.
Final Fantasy VII Part 3 title ‘has been locked’, director teases
