Did Square Enix just hint that Final Fantasy 17 is in the works?
A clip from the Final Fantasy XIV 2026 Fan Festival in Berlin is making the rounds, and it's giving fans more to speculate about than any official announcement could. During an on-stage conversation, FF7 Remake trilogy director Naoki Hamaguchi was asked — in front of a live audience — about leading Final Fantasy 17. His response stopped just short of confirming something, and that half-answer has set fan communities alight.
The moment came when producer Naoki Yoshida (Yoshi-P) noted, publicly, that fans keep asking whether Hamaguchi should helm FF17. Hamaguchi began to reply — "If I answer that…" — and was cut off by Yoshida before he could finish. The implication was clear enough to spread widely online, per Insider Gaming. Square Enix has not officially announced Final Fantasy 17.
Did...Yoshi-P just hint that Hamaguchi is maybe working on FF17?? LOL
— ☆オードリーAudrey☆ (@aitaikimochi) July 26, 2026
Yoshi-P: I think it's one of the biggest compliments people were saying in the comments they wish Hamaguchi is making FF17. But you don't have to answer...!
Hamaguchi: If I answer...
Yoshi-P: No, no, don't! pic.twitter.com/7KaNpK67nM
The man behind the hint
Hamaguchi has been at Square Enix since 2006, starting as a visual effects programmer on Final Fantasy XII. He directed FF7 Remake, FF7 Rebirth, and now leads the concluding chapter, FF7 Revelation, due in early 2027. He was also recently promoted to Studio Head of Creative Studio 1, which oversees both the FF remakes and Kingdom Hearts. That role, combined with the Berlin moment, is why Kotaku estimates he won't realistically be free to start on FF17 until 2027 or 2028 — putting any release at 2030 or later, given typical seven-year development cycles.
The turn-based question
Beyond who directs it, there's the question of what FF17 actually looks like. Yoshida has previously pointed to the success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 — the 2025 RPG from French studio Sandfall Interactive — as evidence that audiences are hungry for complex turn-based combat again. The game blends traditional turn-based structure with real-time parry and dodge mechanics, and it landed to strong critical reception in Western markets. Yoshida's argument: Final Fantasy could return to that format without feeling dated.
What to expect
Nothing is confirmed. The Berlin exchange reads as a deliberate tease rather than a slip — Yoshida steered it, and Hamaguchi played along. But it does suggest internal conversations are happening. For now, Hamaguchi is locked in on Revelation. FF17, if it exists, is a late-decade project at best.
