Square Enix released the results of their player survey following closed beta testing for Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier. According to said survey, 90% of players were satisfied or very satisfied with their experience - praising things like visuals and how enjoyable the game was despite unfamiliarity with battle royale types. Other examples of feedback noted the world of FFVII and its setting are appealing, and it's fun fighting against monsters but they should attack more. The developers have followed up and will continue to develop the experience so they can continue to meet fan expectation. The full survey report can be read here. Last month we had a bit of our own hands on with the game ahead of its 2021 release, you can check out our full report of the beta experience as well here.

Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Complete is getting a 4K HDR Remaster Blu-ray box set to release on September 15th and will retail for 11,000 yen. (Note: This product is already available in other regions as of June 8.) Set two years after the events of the original Final Fantasy VII, a mysterious illness called "Geostigma" is ravaging the planet, as well protagonist Cloud Strife, who has become distant from his closest comrades and friends. What's more, mysterious black-garbed men are seeking the remnants of Jenova's body to bring about another Reunion. It's up to Cloud to put a stop to their plans. The film is a centerpiece of what became the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, a multimedia project to further explore the title's universe. Square Enix has released a comparison video that shows off the higher resolution in comparison with the previous best resolution. Check it out below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayB3k_pDL0A

Several months ago, Square Enix showed us the "expanded universe" as it were of Final Fantasy VII is still very much alive and well when they announced a slew of new titles to go along with it. First up, we had another version of Final Fantasy VII Remake to look forward to with Intergrade - an updated and perfected version of the game for PS5 along with a new bit of downloadable content featuring Yuffie. Next, a separate "remake" projects of sorts was revealed with Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis. This title will feature retellings of the entire Compilation works spanning from Before Crisis all the way through Dirge of Cerberus. And finally, Square Enix revealed Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier - a battle royale taking place 30 years before the events of the original FFVII. Recently, the publisher held the game's closed beta test, giving a select few entry into the early beginnings of the game. I too had a chance to see what all the fuss was about thanks to an opportunity given to us by Square Enix. After getting everything set up on my Android phone (a Sony Xperia 5, just for the record), The First

Following the game's first offical livestream event, Square Enix has announced the first closed beta test for Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier will be held from June 1 to June 7 in North America. Players can pre-register for the closed beta test now via the Google Play Store until May 28, 2021. For those that missed out, view the archived version of the livestream event down below, featuring new gameplay footage: https://youtu.be/qe4Dd8znNVg Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier will release for iOS and Android mobile devices sometime in 2021. Check here to read more on this battle royale mobile title.

Square Enix is set to host the first ever live stream for upcoming mobile title Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier. Scheduled for May 7 at 20:00 JST, fans will be able to view the broadcast on YouTube or Twitch with accompanying English commentary. The stream promises the latest information and gameplay as well as new information of the upcoming PlayStation 5 release of Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade presented by members of the development staff including Shouichi Ishikawa and Tetsuya Nomura. Square Enix also opened an official Discord server for The First Soldier as well as both Japanese and English Twitter accounts. The game is due out for iOS and Android sometime in 2021. Final Fantasy VII Remake • No Commentary Playthrough https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4cEZy7mIsM&list=PL0DOYNMCfGElrJJhEXwB-RMMWt6QqlF7M

Joining the other announcements today, Square Enix has added a second title to the Final Fantasy VII lineup. Titled Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis, this mobile game is a pocket edition of sorts that goes through the story of Final Fantasy VII and the stories of its original Compilation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6ZDKZfr-i0 The game features a chapter-structured single player experience along with new story elements penned by original series author Kazushige Nojima covering the origins of SOLDIER. More information is expected on the game at a later date, before its launch in 2022.

Joining a slew of Final Fantasy VII-related announcements today, Square Enix revealed a new action game in the series coming to iOS and Android devices in 2021. Titled Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier, players can participate in a battle royale game set in Midgar thirty years before the events of Final Fantasy VII proper take place. As a candidate for SOLDIER, you'll make use of a range of abilities for survival. Catch the announcement trailer and first screenshots below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chSgLDIhWE0

Square Enix filed for three trademarks: "Ever Crisis", "The First Soldier", and another for the ShinRa Electric Power Company logo according to a report from Gematsu. It's worth noting that "Ever Crisis" fits within the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII" nomenclature, such as: "Advent Children", "Before Crisis", "Crisis Core", and "Dirge of Cerberus." Before Crisis was a Japan-exclusive mobile phone game that followed the Turks as they track Avalanche in the city of Midgar -- the events directly precede the original Final Fantasy VII. Crisis Core features Zack Fair, a Shinra SOLDIER that Cloud once knew, as he climbs the ranks and uncovers the sinister truths behind the company's endeavors. This game also takes place years before the original game. Advent Children takes place two years Final Fantasy VII, where a mysterious illness wracks the population that has survived Meteorfall, and mysterious Remnants seek to commence another "Reunion" of JENOVA's disparate parts. Dirge of Cerberus takes place last in the timeline, with ex-Turk Vincent Valentine on the trail of the shadowy Deepground para-military unit emerging from the wiped-out depths of Midgar. A bit of speculation: perhaps "Ever Crisis" will have a different scope than the other entries given its distinct title -- rather

Keiji Fujiwara, a talented actor well known for lending his voice to many beloved characters such as Axel from the Kingdom Hearts series and Reno from Final Fantasy VII, passed away on April 12, 2020 after a long battle with cancer. He was 55. Fujiwara’s extensive and impressive work can be heard in anime and video games to popular films and dramas. Alongside his work on Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy VII, he also voiced Ardyn Izunia from Final Fantasy XV, Izana Kunagiri from Final Fantasy Type-0, Garland from Mobius Final Fantasy, Maes Hughes from FullMetal Alchemist, Hiroshi Nohara from Crayon Shin-chan and he provided the voice dub for Robert Downey Jr. films and roles, such as Sherlock Holmes and Tony Stark/Iron Man from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Rest in peace. Source: Oricon News

Jason Schreier, a news editor for gaming website Kotaku, spoke with Final Fantasy VII Remake’s director Yoshinori Kitase, who revealed in an interview that, while Final Fantasy VII Remake is already impressively large, he and his development team are uncertain how many games will span the entire project. “Unfortunately we can’t say anything more about the future games, because we don’t know ourselves.” Kitase had then added that the development team is currently in the process of planning out the scope of the second game, all the while working on wrapping up development on first game. Furthermore, Game Informer has reported that, upon being asked if development on the future installments for FFVIIR would be quicker than the first, Kitase admitted that he did not think development on future entries would be that much shorter than the first. He explained that even though characters and such are done--which will make things easier to some degree--new environments will still likely take some time. “I do not expect it to be dramatically shorter,” he said. Afterward, Square Enix PR sent Game Informer a follow-up email, which sought to clarify Kitase’s earlier statement: "While the development team finishes the first game of the project, they are also planning the