One of the biggest controversies to hit the Final Fantasy 7 Remake when it was first announced was the news that it would be releasing in episodes rather than as one single game like the original. Early on, this was bigger than the update combat system looking more like Final Fantasy 15 than Final Fantasy 7, Tifa's design change, and all the other minor concerns.
Since the initial announcement and the ensuing backlash, Square Enix has been surprisingly quiet about Episode 2 or any episodes coming after the initial release. This has left fans in the dark about when they can expect to continue their journey in the Final Fantasy 7 Remake after having fought all the way through the newly expanded Midgar.
With so much news about Final Fantasy 7 slowly being drip fed as the March 3rd release date approaches, the only information we have is that Episode 2 is in development. So that begs the question of when any more information on Episode 2 will be released and how far this next section will take players through the story of Final Fantasy 7?
What we know about Episode 1
So far, everything that's been released for Final Fantasy 7 has been about Episode 1, which reportedly takes place entirely in Midgar, the opening area of the original game. To accommodate for the episodic presentation of the remake, the story has been changed and bosses have been added in order to extend this opening section into a full length game.
One of the biggest changes is in the combat system that leans closer to Final Fantasy 15, with fast paced action on the forefront, but still utilizing magic and summons. Having summons appear in Midgar is another change that was made necessary by the bounds of the first episode.
Where will Episode 2 end?
The original Final Fantasy 7 was a long game with dozens of storylines that could easily be expanded on the way that Episode 1's Midgar journey is being altered to make a full game. Considering the course of events that follows Midgar, it's likely that Episode 2 will end with the City of the Ancients and the fate of a certain character. Drawing from the original, that would be the best place for an episode's finale.
This would be shoving a lot more content into Episode 2 than made it into Episode 1, but that would just mean that Square Enix wouldn't have to add too much more content in order to make Episode 2 the same length as Episode 1. However, the only other meaningful place to end would be Cloud giving up the Black Materia, which takes place even further into the story.
When will Episode 2 be announced?
It's likely that Square Enix is still trying to distance themselves from the stigma of releasing the Final Fantasy 7 Remake in episodes as opposed to a single game. So Episode 2, while a known entity, likely won't be announced until some time after Episode 1 has been released. This means news might not be coming until early or mid march, although there is a chance that it'll be even longer than that.
The periodic trailers for Episode 1 have been dropping with enough consistency to keep the hype train rolling, like the trailer that premiered at The Game Awards. So, while an obvious choice for an Episode 2 announcement would be E3, a few months after Episode 1 releases, it's much more likely to drop with a trailer during a 2020 State of Play. Regardless of how soon after Episode 1 releases Square Enix decides to announce Episode 2, the announcement likely won't come until after March 3rd.
However, if Square Enix were to throw fans a bone, there's a chance it'll be revealed at a rumored PlayStation event in February. It seems unlikely, but doing so would begin the hype train sooner, meaning it may entice more fans to pick up the first entry.
When will Episode 2 be released?
Fans of the franchise can judge by the trends already set by Square Enix with both Final Fantasy 15 and Kingdom Hearts 3 with how long it took for those games to release their Episodes and DLC to determine a likely timeline. In the case of Kingdom Hearts 3, Re:Mind has just been given an official release date that clocks in at a year after the base game released in 2019. Final Fantasy 15, however, released its first DLC episode only about four months after the release of the base game.
In the case of Re:Mind, it's possible that Square Enix didn't start working on the DLC until either late into the processes of Kingdom Hearts 3's development, or after. Compared to Final Fantasy 15's Episode Gladiolus, which was developed side by side with the base game, it makes sense that it came out faster. What this could mean for the Final Fantasy 7 Remake is that since Episode 2 is already in development, it may be coming at the Final Fantasy 15 pace, but considering the size of each episode, it might lean closer to the Re:Mind release window.
With all of this information together, the most likely release window for Final Fantasy 7 Episode 2 would be late Summer 2020, possibly some time in August or September. It should be noted that this is all speculation, and it is entirely possible that Episode 2 won't release until Holiday 2020 or even early 2021.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake is set to release on March 3rd, 2020 with limited exclusivity for PS4.
