Final Fantasy VII Revelation director pushed for a physical disc
Naoki Hamaguchi says he argued for a physical release of Final Fantasy VII Revelation, and has explained why its single disc cannot hold the whole game.
The director of Final Fantasy VII Revelation says he fought to keep the trilogy's final chapter on a disc. Naoki Hamaguchi has told Radio Times that he pushed for a physical edition even though the game cannot fit onto one, and that he understands why “no disc, no purchase” has become a rallying cry among some players.
Square Enix confirmed in September that the physical edition of Revelation requires an additional download on every format. Unlike Remake and Rebirth, which each shipped on two Blu-ray discs, the closing chapter arrives on a single disc that carries only the opening stretch of the game.
Why the disc cannot hold the game
Speaking to VGC at Tokyo Game Show, Hamaguchi said Revelation is around 200GB in size, a figure he described as potentially beyond the reach of even two Blu-ray discs. The physical edition keeps what he calls “a sort of key disc”, enough to start playing before the remainder is pulled down from the network.
“I do really like and appreciate physical media,” Hamaguchi told Radio Times. “I see a lot of people on social media saying, ‘No disc, no purchase,’ and I understand where they’re coming from.”
He added that a physical release had still been salvaged. “You can’t play the entire game on that disc, but it’s got the opening – a sort of key disc – and then after that, it will ask you to download the rest.”
What players actually get
Final Fantasy VII Revelation is the third part of the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy, following Remake and Rebirth. Square Enix lists the game for PlayStation 5 and PC; its Steam page carries a UK price of £59.99 and a release date of 8 April 2027, and the storefront still shows the title as coming soon.
Hamaguchi has been candid about the trilogy's design goals elsewhere, telling outlets that making each entry a “complete experience” was non-negotiable from the outset – a philosophy that also explains why the final part is too large for the format it launched on.
Our opinion
The disc argument is really an argument about ownership. A “key disc” that boots a download is a licence with a decorative hub, and once the servers that host the rest of Revelation are switched off, the plastic in the box will not save it. Hamaguchi's honesty is welcome, but it is Square Enix's decision – not his – that made a 200GB finale a one-disc game, and a two-disc release with a full install was never technically impossible, only expensive.