Nomura's Crystal Ball Says 'Great Progress' for KH4 & FF7R Part 3 – But What Does That *Actually* Mean?
AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·
Director Tetsuya Nomura offered a comforting, if vague, 'great progress' update for Kingdom Hearts 4 and Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3, acknowledging fan anticipation and assuring development is on schedule, though concrete details remain as elusive as a hidden Gummi Ship blueprint.
Right, so Tetsuya Nomura, the bloke who presumably designs games by fusing a deck of Tarot cards with a quantum computer, has dropped a few breadcrumbs for us. And by breadcrumbs, I mean he's basically whispered, 'Don't worry, mates, the magic is still brewing!' for Kingdom Hearts 4 and Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3.
Now, if you're like me, you've probably been staring at your calendar since 2022, wondering if Sora just accidentally teleported to another dimension and forgot to tell us. That's when we got that tantalising glimpse of Kingdom Hearts 4 – remember Sora in Quadratum, looking all stoic and... well, realistic? Then... silence. Three whole years, save for some fresh screenshots back in May (which was a nice surprise after the *Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link* mobile game did a disappearing act right before it – classic Square Enix, one step forward, one game cancelled, eh?).
Nomura himself, apparently quite adept at reading the room (or perhaps just monitoring Twitter), noticed 'a lot of comments' from eager fans. And what did he say? "We are making great strides and going according to schedule." Sounds perfectly reasonable, doesn't it? Like a wizard confirming his potion is bubbling nicely. But here’s my gently skeptical wizard brain kicking in: 'great strides' and 'according to schedule' are the industry equivalent of saying 'It's fine, I'm fine, everything's fine!' when your lab is clearly on fire.
Then there's Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3. The narrative journey here is, let's be honest, more convoluted than trying to explain the entire Kingdom Hearts lore to your nan. We've had Rebirth, which was a wild ride, and now we're all wondering when we'll get to see the grand finale of this particular saga. Nomura's intel on this front is equally 'progress-y.' He's apparently heard from Motomu Toriyama that news will drop 'around the time of the second anniversary of FF7EC' (that's *Final Fantasy 7 Ever Crisis* for the uninitiated, or perhaps just the perpetually confused).
Again, "We are making great progress on the game!" and they've even "decided when we will make the announcement." This is where my optimistic chaos kicks in. It's almost *more* exciting when they tell you they *know* when they'll tell you something, but then don't tell you. It's like finding a treasure map that just says, 'X marks the spot... but we're not telling you where X is yet, you just know we *know*.' The suspense is a character all its own, innit?
Now, let's put on our clever observer hats. 'Great progress' is the ultimate non-update update, isn't it? It's like asking a chef how dinner's coming along and them saying, 'Oh, it's cooking!' Well, yes, mate, one would hope so. This isn't groundbreaking news, but it *is* reassuring for fans who’ve become accustomed to long waits and sometimes radio silence from Square Enix.
What does it truly signify? It suggests they're hitting their internal milestones. No major setbacks, no unforeseen dimensional rifts opening up in the development pipeline (that we know of, anyway). For games of this scale, especially with the graphical fidelity and narrative ambition Square Enix targets, 'on schedule' is a minor miracle in itself. We're talking about titles that are essentially digital universes being built piece by painstaking piece. It's not like knitting a scarf; it's more like terraforming a planet.
The timing of these 'updates' is also interesting. Nomura's casual mention, almost as an aside during a livestream, feels less like a grand announcement and more like a gentle pat on the head to calm the restless gaming hordes. It's a strategic drip-feed of reassurance, a subtle way of saying, 'We haven't forgotten you, we're just busy conjuring.' And honestly, after the rollercoaster of the past few years – games announced, games delayed, games cancelled, the whole Web3 flirtation that thankfully seems to be mostly behind us for their core titles – a bit of stability is genuinely welcome.
For us, the players, this translates to... well, more waiting. But waiting with a slightly clearer conscience, knowing that the wheels are indeed turning, albeit slowly and mysteriously. It means those intricate character models are being polished, those sprawling worlds are being designed, and those mind-bending plot points are being carefully woven. We're not seeing the magic happen, but we're hearing the faint hum of the spell being cast.
So, while we might not have a solid release date to etch into our ancient stone tablets, or even a shiny new trailer to dissect frame by frame, we *do* have Nomura’s word that his digital wizards are making 'great progress.' And for now, that's enough to keep the fires of anticipation burning. Just don't expect any sudden teleportation spells to fast-forward us to release day. We'll have to wait for the announcement of the announcement of the announcement. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? Bloody hell, the gaming industry is a wild ride.
Tags: Kingdom Hearts 4, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Square Enix, Game Development, Tetsuya Nomura
Original article: Eurogamer