Over the past week, Square Enix has released multiple statements about COVID-19's effect on Final Fantasy 7 Remake's release. Both Square and its retailers have revealed that some players with preorders won't receive FF7 Remake on the day that it launches.
The publisher released a statement just yesterday explaining that it didn't have any control over when retailers would release the game, but that it would do everything in its power to make sure that those who preordered it would receive their copy on time. Square Enix made these statements with the idea that retailers would possibly release the game late, but instead, the opposite has happened.
Evidence has surfaced online that reveals retailers have broken Final Fantasy 7 Remake's street date. Some lucky players have started receiving their copies of the game early and have posted photos of it online as a way to prove their possession, warn people of potential spoilers, or, of course, spoil the game for others.
One fan posted proof of the game's broken street date on Reddit by posting the inner contents that come in Final Fantasy 7 Remake's Deluxe Edition. While he was courteous enough not to post any spoilers of the actual game itself, his actions were still met with some backlash. As a result, he seems to have opted not to reveal which retailer broke the street date.
Whatever the case may be, the whole of Final Fantasy 7 Remake is now available to the internet, so fans seeking to avoid spoilers on what the game has to offer should proceed with caution when searching online. As of this writing, Square Enix hasn't issued any updates claiming its knowledge on the situation, but it wouldn't be able to do anything about the early release anyway – nothing aside from potential fines. Square has already made statements about how it doesn't have a handle on how retailers distribute the game at this point, and any actions it does take won't stop spoilers from surfacing online.
It's hard to say when the developer will address the early release if it decides too. Usually, it releases a statement every Friday to keep fans updated on the looks of Final Fantasy 7 Remake's launch. Depending on how out of hand things get with spoilers, however, Square Enix may decide to state something sooner. Two weeks is a long time for a game to be online without having released officially, after all.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake will launch for the PlayStation 4 on April 10, 2020.
