Final Fantasy VII Remake sequel, Crisis Core remake announced

This story about living legacies, boiled down, in 1:18 minutes.

What's the fuss?

One of Japan's best video game franchises took the stage to share some exciting announcements.

The situation

When Final Fantasy VII released for the original PlayStation in 1997, it fundamentally changed what video games could be

• Having sold more than 10+ million copies initially (with millions more sold on other platforms), the game was lauded for its cinematic storytelling and popularized the Japanese role-playing game in Western markets.
• A remake of the game, aptly titled Final Fantasy VII: Remake, was released in 2020 that updated the experience to modern day - even changing some story elements from the classic version.

For the Final Fantasy VII 25th Anniversary Celebration, fans got some exciting and surprising new announcements.

• The most expected announcement was a sequel to Final Fantasy VII: Remake entitled Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, releasing in Winter 2023 and continuing the story.
  
• The surprising announcement was an upcoming remake of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, originally released in 2008 and serves as a prequel.
  

Boiling it down

Without going into spoiler territory, these remakes seem to retcon some key story elements.

• In the original, a key character from Crisis Core dies that spurs the main character to become the hero vs. in the remake where that key character seemingly survives.
• Such differences have made FFVII fans speculate which version is considered canon.

Microsoft managed to get a little love with the Crisis Core remake releasing for the Xbox, but Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth will remain exclusive to the PlayStation.

• Although previous Final Fantasy games have released on Xbox, it's hard not to separate this piece of news with Xbox's public plans on better connecting with Japanese gamers.