Tetsuya Nomura is not directing the next installment of Final Fantasy VII Remake

After today's surprise announcement of Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, the new PlayStation 5 upgrade version of the game coming in June, it's natural to start thinking about what lies ahead for the next major installment following our 2020 RPG of the Year, and how the new 'definitive edition' style release that is Intergrade might bridge to it. Whatever the case may be, it seems like Remake's key director Tetsuya Nomura will not be directly helming the project, according to a newly-published Famitsu interview.

In the interview, handily translated by twitter user @aitaikimochi, Nomura states that he has an "unprecedented number of projects" underway, and as a result he will not be acting as the director of FF7 Remake's next entry. Instead, the director of "the next FF7R installment," as Nomura puts it, will be Naoki Hamaguchi. Nomura will stay on as the FF7 series Creative Director.

Hamaguchi is very familiar with FF7 Remake, having served as a co-director on the first FF7 Remake release, with a particular focus on the gameplay and combat. As mentioned, Nomura also confirms that he'll still be involved with the future of the FF7 Remake series and FF7 titles in general - but in an overseeing Creative Director role.

Nomura makes a point in the interview to offer reassurance that his role won't be that different - but less hands-on, to facilitate him being attached to many projects at once. "The basic way of working will remain the same," he says. This will naturally free Nomura up to take on more projects - such as more Kingdom Hearts, or all-new endeavors.

It isn't mentioned, but it's likely the producer of the FF7 Remake projects will remain Yoshinori Kitase, the director of the original FF7.

You can read some of the translations directly on @aitaikimochi's Twitter account: If you want to learn more about today's newly revealed Final Fantasy VII projects, we've got you covered, with the full lowdown on FF7 Remake Intergrade for PS5, FF7 battle royale The First Soldier, and intriguing episodic title FF7: Ever Crisis.