'Final Fantasy 7 Remake' release date: game may take 2-3 years to complete

"Final Fantasy VII"Square-Enix

The upcoming "Final Fantasy 7 Remake" is already one of the most eagerly anticipated games in recent memory, but that doesn't mean that it will be coming out any time soon.

Fans have been clamoring for the "Final Fantasy 7 Remake" for so long now that Square Enix has to know that they cannot afford to commit an error.

The company is under immense pressure from the fan base to do the fabled game justice, and that could translate to a potentially longer wait, even if that's not what people want.

As Games Radar+ noted, Square Enix is essentially remaking just about every aspect of the game and that entire process could take about two to three years to complete.

Square Enix has already announced that the remake will have an episodic release, meaning significant segments of it will be released at different points in time.

The episodic release should allow Square Enix to manage the timeline for the "Final Fantasy 7 Remake" better, but that still doesn't mean the first part of the game is coming out any time soon.

The development process for such a massive game figures to be quite exhaustive and with Square Enix already expressing a desire to tweak certain aspects of gameplay, applying such widespread changes may require an even more generous timeline.

An earlier trailer released for the game already showed off what appears to be a revamped battle system, along with other changes.

As Game Rant pointed out, the new battle system appears to be more focused on real-time combat, although it's unclear if this will remain the primary offering in the day one version of the "Final Fantasy 7 Remake."

The most recent footage of the game also showed that Cloud and Barrett have updated looks, and the rest of the characters may also feature noticeable changes when they are introduced.

At this point, all the changes being made may lead to the "Final Fantasy 7 Remake" not being ready until 2017 at the earliest, with a 2018 launch being more realistic.