In a detailed 4Gamer interview, Naoki Hamaguchi — a director on Square Enix’s Final Fantasy VII remake project — laid out the studio’s reasoning for continuing development on Unreal Engine 4 rather than moving to Unreal Engine 5.
The decision underscores practical production priorities for one of modern JRPG development’s highest-profile projects.
Final Fantasy VII Remake originally launched on PlayStation 4 in April 2020 and the remake project continued onto PlayStation 5 and PC with subsequent releases, making engine and tooling choices central to the team’s workflow.
Hamaguchi told 4Gamer that the team’s existing proficiency with Unreal Engine 4 and their extensive customizations informed the choice to remain on the engine.
From both a business and player perspective, he argued, delivering the game as quickly as possible was the top priority.
Hamaguchi said that because the development team had already built and adapted UE4 for the remake series, switching to Unreal Engine 5 would have required rebuilding systems and extending the production timeline.
He added that the choice was made early in development and communicated clearly to the team to avoid protracted internal debates.
Hamaguchi anticipated that some creators would be curious about new Unreal Engine 5 features, but decided that staying with a familiar workflow would prevent confusion and keep the project on schedule.
He also noted that the team had the expertise to further modify UE4 themselves if challenges arose.
Unreal Engine 5, released in early access in 2021 and reaching full release in April 2022, offers new rendering and workflow tools, but Hamaguchi’s comments reflect a common industry calculus: the trade-off between adopting cutting-edge tech and preserving stable, proven pipelines for large-scale productions.
Square Enix’s track record with the Final Fantasy VII remake demonstrates heavy investment in custom tooling and engine work, and the developer’s choice to prioritize stability and delivery timelines aligns with that precedent.
For publishers and developers watching the remake project, Hamaguchi’s explanation offers a clear window into how major studios weigh engine upgrades against schedule, tooling, and player expectations.
The decision to remain on UE4 was framed as pragmatic: maintain momentum, leverage existing investments, and ensure the team can deliver quality on time across PlayStation and PC platforms.
The decision underscores practical production priorities for one of modern JRPG development’s highest-profile projects.
Final Fantasy VII Remake originally launched on PlayStation 4 in April 2020 and the remake project continued onto PlayStation 5 and PC with subsequent releases, making engine and tooling choices central to the team’s workflow.
Hamaguchi told 4Gamer that the team’s existing proficiency with Unreal Engine 4 and their extensive customizations informed the choice to remain on the engine.
From both a business and player perspective, he argued, delivering the game as quickly as possible was the top priority.
Hamaguchi said that because the development team had already built and adapted UE4 for the remake series, switching to Unreal Engine 5 would have required rebuilding systems and extending the production timeline.
He added that the choice was made early in development and communicated clearly to the team to avoid protracted internal debates.
Hamaguchi anticipated that some creators would be curious about new Unreal Engine 5 features, but decided that staying with a familiar workflow would prevent confusion and keep the project on schedule.
He also noted that the team had the expertise to further modify UE4 themselves if challenges arose.
Unreal Engine 5, released in early access in 2021 and reaching full release in April 2022, offers new rendering and workflow tools, but Hamaguchi’s comments reflect a common industry calculus: the trade-off between adopting cutting-edge tech and preserving stable, proven pipelines for large-scale productions.
Square Enix’s track record with the Final Fantasy VII remake demonstrates heavy investment in custom tooling and engine work, and the developer’s choice to prioritize stability and delivery timelines aligns with that precedent.
For publishers and developers watching the remake project, Hamaguchi’s explanation offers a clear window into how major studios weigh engine upgrades against schedule, tooling, and player expectations.
The decision to remain on UE4 was framed as pragmatic: maintain momentum, leverage existing investments, and ensure the team can deliver quality on time across PlayStation and PC platforms.