Nomura teases progress, timelines, and plenty of speculation for Square Enix’s big projects.
Square Enix fans have been eating well these past few years, with Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth giving fresh life to one of gaming’s golden children. But as the clock ticks, patience starts wearing thin, so if you were wondering what’s new, we just got a minor update straight from Tetsuya Nomura, and it’s fueling plenty of excitement. Let’s see why.
During the second anniversary stream for Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis, Nomura took a moment to talk about progress on the third entry in the remake trilogy. His comments were translated and shared online. In simple terms, his message is that the team is making strong progress, and they’ve already decided when the official announcement will take place.
Nomura also touched on Kingdom Hearts 4, saying the team is making “great strides” and everything is moving according to plan. That small mention was enough to send the internet into a frenzy. After all, Kingdom Hearts fans are used to long waits and endless teases, so hearing that development is on track must feel like a relief.
Kingdom Hearts 4 has earned itself the title of the “new Silksong”, taking over from Team Cherry’s hit title as the game that gets memed to death every time an event rolls around without an update. No matter what event it is—Tokyo Game Show, State of Play, or a Square Enix showcase—every time it’s the same cycle: eat, sleep, high hopes, disappointment, repeat for Kingdom Hearts 4 fans.
But back to Final Fantasy 7 Part Three, the question now is when we’ll finally see it. Geoff Keighley could snag the world premiere trailer at The Game Awards later this year, which would be a fitting way to close out 2025. If that happens, the release window could land somewhere around late 2026 or early 2027. Timing it before the rumored PlayStation 6 holiday 2027 launch window would make a lot of sense, making sure the trilogy does not cross the PS5 gen.
The amount of groundwork already done for Rebirth leads us to believe the turnaround will be quicker. Part Three can reuse much of the environments and character models from its predecessor, making the devs’ lives easier and allowing them to focus more on narrative. It wouldn’t be shocking if the dev cycle ended up being shorter compared to the first two parts.
One of the biggest challenges ahead isn’t just finishing the game but actually tying everything together. Everyone’s curious to see how Nomura and the team attempt to bring it all home, even if the story’s been a bit off the rails compared to the OG games. The idea of wrapping up such a complex storyline in one final chapter feels almost impossible, but if any man can be trusted with a job like that, then it’s Nomura.
As for Kingdom Hearts 4, don’t expect a sudden surprise launch. Nomura’s reassurance that development is on track is great, but it likely means fans still have a long wait ahead of them. Until then, the community will keep clowning around with their memes. Doesn’t matter if it’s Final Fantasy 7’s big finale or the next stop in Sora’s wild adventures; knowing that Square Enix is moving is in and of itself a win.
