Director Naoki Hamaguchi and creative director Tetsuya Nomura talk about their approach to one of gaming’s most memorable scenes.

Since Final Fantasy 7 Remake launched in 2021 and given how events played out, everyone has had the same question regarding a particular character’s fate Speaking to Game Informer, director Naoki Hamaguchi and creative director Tetsuya Nomura talk about how the team approached. Spoilers follow for Final Fantasy 7 Remake and the original game, so be warned.

“For Rebirth, we are following Cloud and the party’s journey up to the Forgotten Capital where we will seek our Aerith’s fate; that is the landing point for Rebirth. Along the way, players will see the characters interact and deepen their bonds with each other. That is a focal point,” said director Naoki Hamaguchi.

The scene’s creation began with a scenario by veteran writer Kazushige Nojima. From there, the team added their ideas and felt the result would shock those who played through the original. However, creative director Tetsuya Nomura insists that “life” is the central theme of Final Fantasy 7.

“Beginning with the original Final Fantasy 7, when we had started working on it, it was already decided from the get-go that ‘life’ would be the central theme. I knew that we had to depict life and death within this title. Before Final Fantasy 7, there have been other titles where characters have experienced tragedy, but many have come back or been revived in some ways.

“But I believe that loss is something that happens unexpectedly, and it’s not something so dramatic or drawn out, but is something in which a person you have just conversed with is suddenly gone and never to come back. I believe that the person who dies should not return in this title, and that is what we did with the original.

“I believe that the way we have depicted it brings about a new emotion and a new feeling for both players who have played the original Final Fantasy 7 and newcomers. I was able to do what I truly wanted to show in this title.”

Of course, Nomura and Hamaguchi don’t reveal if the scene will play out exactly as it did in the original. Time will ultimately tell, but after Remake’s ending and the defeat of the Whispers of Fate, all bets are off.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth launches on February 29th for PS5. It’s a three-month timed exclusive for the console.