Final Fantasy 7 Ever Crisiswas released onto mobile devices back on Jul 22, 2025, and it was released on Steam the following December, making the miniaturized adventures of Cloud, Zack, and their friends just over a year old. While playing as many different and classic characters, using unique gear, and reading special side stories, players canexperience the story ofThe Compilation of Final Fantasy 7in a condensed “nostalgic visual twist” - according to Square Enix - of the original PS1’s title’s art style.
To celebrate the title’s first anniversary, Game Rant was given the opportunity to speak withFinal Fantasy 7 Ever Crisisproducer Shoichi Ichikawa about specific aspects of the mobile venture and what the last year has been like for the game, and what Ichikawa could tease about what’s in store after this milestone. While the discussion with Ichikawa was brief, it gleams a bit more into what development of a gacha game, or even aFinal Fantasymobile title, might be like behind the scenes.This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Even Final Fantasy 7 Ever Crisis' Producer Worried About How Some Features Would Be Received By Fans
Q: Now that the game’s celebrated its first anniversary, what are some of the challengesFinal Fantasy 7 Ever Crisishas faced in the last year as such a uniqueFF7mobile game?
Ichikawa:The most challenging aspect was the implementation of the Guild system.
Many fans ofFinal Fantasyenjoy immersing themselves into the world of the RPG alone, so I was worried people might feel uncomfortable with Guilds, which facilitate communication between multiple players, as well as the Guild Battles that come with it.
That said, in the end that worry was unfounded.
ManyGuilds inFinal Fantasy 7 Ever Crisishave about 20 to 30 people and the chat is very active, too, so I’m truly happy to see that players seem to be enjoying the Guild system.
Q: Fans seem to be really enjoying Sephiroth’s backstory, as well as the unique character stories like the one about Aerith’s memories. What has made Final Fantasy 7 Ever Crisis the best conduit for these new character stories?
Ichikawa:We wanted to provide those who are not so familiar withFinal Fantasy 7a service where they can casually try out the gameon a platform that the most people have access to, and that’s howFinal Fantasy 7 Ever Crisiswas born.
And since we’re collectingFinal Fantasy 7titles in a place with easy access, we figured we should include content thatFinal Fantasy 7fans can enjoy even more; that’s how we started introducing new stories and content that takes a deeper dive into the characters.
What Goes into Final Fantasy 7 Ever Crisis as a Live-Service Title
Q: One of the biggest draws to Ever Crisis is the Gacha and Stamp Card system. How does the Ever Crisis team choose which character gets new gear and weapons for each event?
Ichikawa:If we are considering a seasonal event, then we’d decide on a motif/theme that matches the season and incorporate that into the gear.
If we areconsidering a collaboration event, then we would analyze the characters and items that exist in the source material and think about how those would apply to the characters and world ofFinal Fantasy 7, like, “if Cloud were to wear this…” and adjust accordingly. This is a tough process, but we get to plan projects that we would never imagine being incorporated into the typical realm ofFinal Fantasy 7, so we enjoy the work.
Q: There’s been quite a lot of exciting events over the past year. What has inspired the team when planning these events so far, and what types of events can fans expect going forward?
Ichikawa:The most important thing I keep in mind is whether the element can deliver a sense of surprise or delight. Moving forward, I will continue to hold this thinking dear to me as I consider different events, so I hope you look forward to the future.
Q: Could you speak to the general plan when it comes to new stories, new events, and new and/or playable characters as Ever Crisis moves into its second year?
Ichikawa:I’m afraid I can’t go into details at this time, but as we wrap up the First Anniversary, we will start the second season of The First SOLDIER arc. Young Sephiroth and Angeal will appear in the story and young Angeal will be a playable character.
Looking into collaboration events, you can expect that the next plan in the works will be witha mainlineFinal Fantasytitle.
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Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
WHERE TO PLAY
Discover a vibrant and vast world in this standalone entry in the Final Fantasy VII remake project. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the second entry in the Final Fantasy VII remake project, which retells the story of the genre-redefining RPG across three distinct games. Iconic heroes Cloud, Barret, Tifa, Aerith and Red XIII have escaped from the dystopian city Midgar and are now in pursuit of Sephiroth, the vengeful swordsman from Cloud’s past who was thought to be dead. This new adventure can be enjoyed by all players, even those who have yet to play Final Fantasy VII Remake or the PlayStation original. Expect a new standard of cinematic storytelling, fast-paced combat and rich exploration across a vast world.
