When Square Enix announced that Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 3 would continue using Unreal Engine 4 instead of jumping to the more advanced Unreal Engine 5, reactions were mixed. Some assumed this meant the game would visually or technically lag behind newer titles, while others worried about development delays. The reality, however, is far more nuanced.
The decision reflects a calculated strategy rather than a technical limitation. By sticking with Unreal Engine 4, Square Enix avoids the risks of adopting cutting-edge but unproven tools like Lumen and Nanite, which power Unreal Engine 5’s visual pipeline. These features, while impressive in demos, come with their own set of challenges—complexity that could slow down development or force compromises on performance, especially for a game targeting multiple platforms.
Instead, the team has built its own graphics pipeline on top of Unreal Engine 4, one that was already refined during the development of Final Fantasy VII Remake and Rebirth. This approach allows for greater optimization and smoother porting to hardware like Nintendo Switch 2 and Xbox Series S, where performance consistency is critical. The goal isn’t just to meet technical benchmarks but to deliver a cohesive experience across platforms, even if that means running at 30 FPS in some cases.
That’s the upside—here’s the catch: this choice may leave players expecting Unreal Engine 5-level visuals disappointed. While the team acknowledges that newer engines offer groundbreaking features, they also introduce significant overhead. For a project of this scale, efficiency and stability often outweigh the allure of bleeding-edge graphics.
The series director has emphasized that this isn’t about settling for less but about making deliberate choices that serve the game’s vision. Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 3 is poised to build on the visual and gameplay innovations established in its predecessors, rather than chasing trends that could derail the project. Whether this strategy pays off will depend on how well the team balances optimization with ambition.
The final product may not look like the most technically advanced game on the market, but if executed well, it could set a new standard for narrative depth and gameplay polish in the RPG genre. For players who prioritize innovation over visual spectacle, this approach could be exactly what makes the game stand out.
