PS3 Final Fantasy VII Tech Demo more than a demo?

CHIBA CITY, Japan--One of the highlights of the trailer compilation shown in one of the main theaters on the show floor of the Square Enix Party 2005 is the PlayStation 3 technology demo of the opening sequence of Final Fantasy VII. Ever since the short clip's debut in May during Sony's E3 press conference, there has been talk that the footage shown is evidence that Square Enix intends to release a remake of the FFVII. The talk started up again with renewed interest, as the clip took centerstage during a compilation of trailers shown of upcoming Square Enix games. We took the opportunity to talk to a Square Enix rep for the internal division within the company, whose focus is on the properties relating to Final Fantasy VII, to get the scoop.

Square Enix's initial response to our inquiry about whether the tech demo is suggestive of a full game in the works fell in the realm of a carefully worded corporate response. The reps noted that, as was mentioned at E3, the demo was created to show just how powerful the PlayStation 3 technology is. As a result, it's a tech demo only and is not intended to indicate that a PS3 remake of FFVII is presently under active development by the company.

However, when pressed, the reps also noted that further plans for content based on FFVII haven't been set, per se. They affirmed that the resulting reaction from fans over the demo footage and the content related to FFVII shown at the party has been overwhelmingly positive. As a result, provided fan reaction continues to be feverishly positive over the demo, and the very notion of a FFVII remake is certainly something Square Enix would bear in mind when planning future projects.

Does this mean it's on? Probably not at this exact moment, but at this point, we're willing to bet it's not a matter of if an FFVII remake will happen, but when.