Final Fantasy VII, one of the greatest games of all time, is getting a remake
It's finally happening.
After 18 long years, a remake of Final Fantasy VII is on its way.
For those not in the know, Final Fantasy VII - or FFVII for short - was a PlayStation fantasy role-playing game released in 1997. It's widely regarded as one of the greatest games of all time, and key details like arch-villain Sephiroth and the fate of Aeris have become enduring touchpoints in gaming culture.
At annual gaming conference E3, developer Square Enix dropped a trailer for the game on Tuesday night. Fans have clamoured for such a remake for years, and while the studio has released a number of sequels, spin-offs and animated films, it has always backed away from a direct recreation of the original classic - until now.
The teaser trailer appears to show off Midgar, the largest city on the fictional planet Gaia and home to the Shinra corporation:
There's a subtle hint to Aeris, a Midgar flower girl who gets caught up in the adventure:
As well as a road that looks suspiciously similar to one feature in one of FFVII's iconic chase scenes:
Though we never see their face, this man with a gun barrel for an arm can only be Barret Wallace, one of the game's key playable characters:
And close behind Barret comes Cloud Strife, FFVII's primary protagonist and one of the most iconic characters in the last 20 years of video gaming history:
The trailer ends with the caption "play it first on PlayStation 4" - suggesting that while Sony fans will be the first to get their hands on the eagerly-anticipated title, it won't be exclusive to the PS4.
Here's the full trailer:
Kotaku got its hands on a press release from developer Square Enix, and the studio says it has just "begun production." The inference is that the game is a long way off yet:
LOS ANGELES (June 15, 2015) - At Sony Computer Entertainment of America LLC's (SCEA) E3 press conference today, SQUARE ENIX® announced that it has begun production on the full remake of FINAL FANTASY® VII for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system.
Leading the development will be key members from the original project, including producer Yoshinori Kitase, director Tetsuya Nomura and scenario writer Kazushige Nojima.