Ever since Final Fantasy VII Rebirth launched on PlayStation 5 almost two years ago, fans of the series have been wondering how different Final Fantasy VII Revelation (formerly known as Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 3) will be, both in gameplay and technical terms. While we don't yet know how the Highwind airship will shape traversing the entirety of the game's world, we have now learned something that is sure to make many breathe a sigh of relief: the game won't use Unreal Engine 5.
Speaking with Gamespot, Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy director Naoki Hamaguchi commented on the engine powering part 3. "We’ve been using Unreal Engine 4, but we’ve made a lot of modifications to fit our needs," Hamaguchi-san said. "It’s more beneficial to have something we’re already familiar with and have customized to fit our needs."
Previously, Hamaguchi-san revealed that the development team was considering switching to Unreal Engine 5 for Final Fantasy VII Remake part 3, which made more than a few shudder at the thought of the stuttering issues that would likely have plagued the experience, especially on PC.
On the other hand, Unreal Engine 4 (which makes it possible for even a modded version of the original Nintendo Switch to handle the game surprisingly well) will be an even more dated engine by the time the game comes out, so the game's visuals may leave something to be desired compared to open-world games set to release in the future such as The Witcher 4, which will fully leverage the engine's unique features such as Lumen and Nanite. Still, this could result in an easier Nintendo Switch 2 port ( as suggested by some early Final Fantasy VII Rebirth footage), less demanding system specifications on PC, and faster porting of mods such as the DX12 Async Compile mod, which addresses shader compilation stuttering, so there's some clear pros and cons to the choice.
Hopefully, the customized engine powering the game will address this graphical fidelity gap and deliver excellent visuals befitting the conclusion of the trilogy.
With Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade having released this month on Nintendo Switch 2 and Xbox Series X|S this month and Rebirth set to do the same later this year, the series has returned to the spotlight, and now even more gamers are anticipating the reveal of Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 3, whose name has finally been decided. Little is known about the game, but it will feature a great recreation of a very emotional sequence, which Hamaguchi-san was really looking forward to make.
If the game is aiming to release in time with the original's 30th anniversary in 2027, it will likely not take too long to see the first glimpse of the conclusion of a series that, for better or worse, is set to influence the entire franchise in the future. This launch could also benefit from an unexpected cross-promotion: Tifa's addition to the Street Fighter 6 roster in its fourth season.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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