Square Enix has officially registered “Final Fantasy 7 Day” in Japan, celebrating the original game’s launch more than two decades ago.
Final Fantasy 7 came out way back on Jan. 31, 1997 – making today the 26th anniversary. Director Yoshinori Kitase shared a statement regarding the registration.
“The 31st of January 1997, the day that Final Fantasy 7 came out, was not just a significant day for the Final Fantasy series, but also marked when so many big things started moving for those of us who worked on the game,” Kitase said on Twitter. “I remember being overwhelmed at the breakneck speed with which video game technology was evolving, but also dreaming big things for the future.”
We’re delighted to announce “Final Fantasy VII Day” has been officially registered in Japan, to commemorate the anniversary of the launch of the original game.
To celebrate, here’s a special message from Yoshinori Kitase, producer of the Final Fantasy VII remake project. pic.twitter.com/GBphY8AYR4
— FINAL FANTASY VII (@finalfantasyvii) January 31, 2023
“With the establishment of this official anniversary day, I will now always remember these things, and hold them dearly in my heart,” Kitase concludes.
Since then, Final Fantasy 7 has sold around 13.9 million copies worldwide. It was popular enough to spawn numerous spinoffs, including Crisis Core and a multi-part remake. Final Fantasy 7 Remake has been out for a couple of years now, while the second part, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, is still in development.
Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.
