Final Fantasy 7 Remake interview – director on bringing the game to Nintendo Switch 2

Naoki Hamaguchi, co-director of Final Fantasy 7 Remake and longtime member of Square Enix’s creative team, has been shaping the future of one of gaming’s most beloved stories. With Remake now arriving on Nintendo Switch 2 to kick off 2026, in an interview with Nintendo Everything, he recently reflected on the challenges and triumphs of bringing Cloud’s journey to a new audience, and what it means to see the series find a home on Nintendo hardware for the first time in over two decades.

Here’s our full discussion:

This is your first time developing for a Nintendo console in over 20 years. What made bringing Final Fantasy 7 Remake to Switch 2 feel personally meaningful for you?

Square Enix is going through a new chapter with new leadership, and I feel very positive about that vision. When Nintendo first shared the specs of their latest hardware with us, I immediately thought: If we optimize carefully, this could be a great opportunity to bring Final Fantasy 7 Remake to Nintendo fans.

Can you talk about the origins of the Switch 2 version? Why did Square Enix believe it would be a good fit, and was it ever considered for the original Switch?

We’ve always maintained a very good relationship with Nintendo. With the original Switch, we experimented with cloud versions for titles like Kingdom Hearts, but that approach didn’t feel right for Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Once we learned what the Switch 2 could do, it felt like a natural and positive opportunity.

What were the biggest obstacles in optimizing Remake for Switch 2, and what successes did your team celebrate?

At Gamescom and PAX West, we showed the game running on Switch 2, and the feedback was very encouraging. One of the main challenges was power consumption – making sure we could deliver strong performance in handheld mode without sacrificing quality. Our engineers worked on rendering optimizations, and we were able to maintain very high-quality visuals that felt faithful to the PlayStation version.

Did the portable nature of Switch 2 influence how you approached the game’s most emotional story moments?

Yes, very much. We knew that character expressions and visuals were crucial, especially in handheld mode. Lighting became a key focus. We looked at how we approached it on PS5, then adjusted with post-effects and fog on Switch 2 so that those emotional beats would shine while still keeping performance strong.

The rest of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake series is also coming to Switch 2. These games are even bigger in scope – what challenges do you anticipate?

I can’t speak for the entire company, but personally I think it’s very meaningful to see Final Fantasy on both Switch 2 and Xbox. This is just the beginning, and I look forward to bringing the series to a larger audience.

You’ve described Remake as a “rebuild, not a rewrite.” How has that philosophy guided your approach to iconic story scenes?

The core themes of Final Fantasy 7  – life, legacy, humanity – remain unchanged. But it has been decades since the original release. Cultures, technology, and even players’ perspectives have changed. We considered all of that carefully. Part 3 is progressing well, and I think it will be very exciting and satisfying for longtime fans. We’ve also announced that Part 2 is on its way to Switch 2.

With so many new players discovering Cloud and Sephiroth through Switch 2, what do you hope this generation of fans takes away from the story?

As a child, I was deeply inspired by Final Fantasy, and it played a big role in shaping me as a creator. I truly believe games can change people’s lives. My hope is that this remake will continue to inspire and impact a new generation, just as the original did.

Looking back at the 1997 game now through the lens of Remake and Rebirth, how has your perspective on Final Fantasy 7 changed?

Playing the original as a fan, and now being able to revisit it as a developer, has been a profound experience. It’s deepened my respect for the story and characters. With Part 3, I hope to deliver something that both honors that legacy and surprises players.

How do features like GameChat and screen sharing change the way players can experience Final Fantasy together?

I can’t comment or confirm specific features at this time. But one of the greatest appeals of Nintendo Switch has always been the ability to play anywhere, anytime. That kind of accessibility is very appealing when we think about how people will enjoy Final Fantasy 7 Remake on the system.

Speaking with Hamaguchi, it was impossible not to feel his enthusiasm. He admitted that as a child he dreamed of becoming a game creator, and now he is living that dream – something that clearly fills him with joy. More than once, his face lit up as he described his team’s work and what it meant to bring Final Fantasy 7 to new generations. I walked away elated for him, and reminded that at our core, most of us who love games share the same impulse: to pass along the stories, worlds, and experiences that made us fall in love with games in the first place.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade launches for Nintendo Switch 2 on January 22, 2026.