From launching Final Fantasy VII Remake across two discs to not knowing whether the latest entry will get one at all, Square Enix’s approach has changed dramatically. While RPG fans are counting down to Final Fantasy 7 Revelation‘s 2027 launch window, someone at Square Enix isn’t nearly as confident. Director Naoki Hamaguchi says he wants the final chapter of the remake trilogy to get a physical release. But right now, he simply can’t promise it will happen.
Speaking to GamesRadar+ during the Final Fantasy 14 Fan Festival in Berlin, Hamaguchi revealed that Square Enix is still figuring out exactly how the game will launch. “We’re still having internal discussions on what the exact SKU product lineup is going to be for Revelation,” Hamaguchi said, unable to promise anything ‘definitive’ at the moment. “But I am working to make the arrangements to allow us to have some kind of physical edition.”
Of course, his response comes not long after the industry-shaking news that Sony is stopping physical disc production in 2028. The company said that current and upcoming games announced before that time won’t be affected. Note that Final Fantasy 7 Revelation itself is planned to be released sometime in Spring 2027, a year before the policy comes into effect. Nevertheless, the transition seems to be already well underway.
Rockstar Games’ highly anticipated GTA 6, for example, is set to arrive this November in a box containing nothing more than a download code. Sony, meanwhile, has already repurposed one of its disc manufacturing plants to produce microlenses for automotive lighting.
Still, Hamaguchi admitted he understands where the industry is headed. Digital has become the norm and now accounts for the majority of game sales, whether gamers like it or not. Square Enix’s close business partner Capcom recently revealed that 93% of its sales now come from digital purchases. Even so, Hamaguchi believes there’s still something special about owning a physical copy.
“I think that’s lovely,” Hamaguchi said as he mentioned how fans often brought physical games for autographs. “I think it’s a wonderful culture and it would be a shame to lose that.”
He hopes that publishers could find ways to keep selling boxed editions. Whether that’s through key cards similar to what Nintendo does or some other packaged solution — like GTA 6‘s code-in-a-box. Though, let’s be real, that one won’t become much of a consolation for physical collectors.
