So, let’s talk about that Final Fantasy 7 remake. At E3 2015, Square Enix stole the show by announcing something we really thought we’d never see—a full remastered remake of FF7 for PS4, with modern graphics and modernized gameplay. It is an impossible dream, but it’s really happening. But when? Oh, but when? Will the Final Fantasy 7 remake even come out in 2016 or 2017? It’s a tough question. Let’s investigate.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake Release Date: PS4 In 2016? Not Likely

Square Enix’s reveal of the Final Fantasy 7 remake is certainly going down as one of the greatest E3 moments ever. I mean, come on. Midgar, all over again… and unlike the PS3 tech demo of FF7 once upon a time, this is the real thing. Final Fantasy 7 is really coming back. But that doesn’t give us much of an inkling as to timing.

The Final Fantasy 7 release date, if you believe everything you read on the Internet, is winter 2015. And technically speaking, this seems to be true: The Final Fantasy 7 port, the straight transfer, now with trophies, may well be out before the end of the year. Previous placeholder dates suggested it would come out as early as October, which of course it did not. But it’s probably not far off.

The actual remake of Final Fantasy 7 is an entirely different beast. First off, it’s not going to come out before Final Fantasy XV, which is already years late, but is finally supposed to come out in its new form in 2016. Until then, Final Fantasy 7 Remake isn’t the company’s main focus.

How long does it take to remake Final Fantasy 7 for modern systems? Uh… probably longer than any other remake ever made. This game is a big proposition, even if Square Enix changes a lot. Old RPGs in the early 3D era were way longer than their equivalents now. It will take a lot to bring this one up to date, with an entirely new engine, crazy graphics, and all those sorts of things. I think even 2016 or 2017 is ambitious.

But late 2017, that could happen. If we’re hoping for a Final Fantasy 7 remake release date, that’s where we should pin our hopes, if it’s going to land on this side of the midterm elections. And maybe it won’t. But something has changed compared to the many years of silence on the FF7 front: The game is actually happening. For now, that’s enough.