Final Fantasy 7 Remake Breaks Street Date Thanks to the Coronavirus Pandemic

Square Enix today issued a new update about the upcoming release of Final Fantasy VII Remake for the PlayStation 4. Specifically, the company has noted that, thanks to the impact of COVID-19, it took the unusual step to start shipping retail copies of the game to some parts of the world — Europe and Australia — earlier than usual in advance of the April 10th release date. In short, people are more likely to get their hands on the highly anticipated game ahead of time than usual, with some folks seemingly already having done so. In addition to noting that this is happening, the developers have also asked that folks not spoil it for the rest of the world.

“We had some hard decisions to make during the final few weeks before launch due to disruption to distribution channels caused by the spread of the COVID-19 virus,” today’s message from producer Yoshinori Kitase and director Tetsuya Nomura reads in part. “These unique circumstances have made it very difficult to align timing of our global shipping. Our highest priority is that all of you, including those who live in countries currently facing the biggest disruption, can play the game at launch, so we made the decision to ship the game far earlier than usual to Europe and Australia.”

“If you get the game early, please think of others and don’t spoil it for them,” the notice adds. “We know there are potential spoilers that have been out there for over two decades as the original FINAL FANTASY VII was released in 1997. But FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE is a new game that still has many surprises for everyone. All our fans and players deserve to experience the game for themselves, and we ask for the support of our dedicated community around the world to ensure that.”

What do you think of what we’ve seen of Final Fantasy VII Remake so far? Are you excited to check it out when it releases next month? Let us know in the comments, or hit me up directly on Twitter at @rollinbishop to talk all things gaming!

Here’s how Square Enix describes Final Fantasy VII Remake on its official website:

“The world has fallen under the control of the Shinra Electric Power Company, a shadowy corporation controlling the planet’s very life force as mako energy.

“In the sprawling city of Midgar, an anti-Shinra organization calling themselves Avalanche have stepped up their resistance. Cloud Strife, a former member of Shinra’s elite SOLDIER unit now turned mercenary, lends his aid to the group, unaware of the epic consequences that await him.

“The story of this first, standalone game in the FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE project covers up to the party’s escape from Midgar, and goes deeper into the events occurring in Midgar than the original FINAL FANTASY VII.”

Final Fantasy VII Remake is currently scheduled to launch on April 10th for PlayStation 4. Retail copies of the game could potentially be delayed thanks to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, however, though it would now appear that the opposite is also true in some areas. It’s currently unclear exactly how many games the Final Fantasy VII Remake will be comprised of, as it’s known that it will be releasing in distinct chunks. You can check out all of our previous coverage of the title right here.