There's a new version of Final Fantasy 7 coming to Steam to take the place of the 2013 release, and everyone who owns the original can have it for free—and even better, they'll continue to have access to the old edition, too. You might be curious what's new in this new version, or when it will be out, and I'm sorry to say I can't help.
A message posted to the Final Fantasy 7 account on X says "the original Final Fantasy 7 will be re‑released on Steam to provide an improved gameplay experience," and directs readers to an announcement on Steam for "full details." And there definitely are more details, although calling it "full" is a stretch.
The existing game will be renamed to Final Fantasy 7 - 2013 Edition when the new version launches. Existing owners will have access to both versions, but the original will no longer be available for purchase. Save data will not be compatible: 2013 saves won't work in the new release, and vice versa, so if you want to jump into the new one you'll be starting from scratch.
And... that's it. What's changed? When is the update coming? Is the price going up? How's this going to muck up mod support? Why is Square Enix horsing around with a 13-year-old videogame that's not exactly drawing big player numbers these days? To these questions and any others you may have, there is only silence.
One thing I do find interesting, and a little odd, is the wording of the announcement on X: "The original Final Fantasy 7 will be re-released." To my reading that sounds more like 'we're doing it again' than 'we're doing it differently,' but the Steam update does specifically refer to a "new version" of the game, rather strongly suggesting that it's, you know, new.
"Original" is also a messy word here, since Final Fantasy 7 was first released on PlayStation in 1997 and then in a somewhat janky PC port in 1998, before 3D graphics cards were commonplace. That PC version was then re-released in 2012 via Square Enix's own store before coming to Steam in 2013, with port studio Dotemu adding achievements, cloud saving, and some other enhancements alongside tweaks to make it run on modern machines.
Anyway, it all seems kind of weird to me, but that's what we've got to work with. I've reached out to Square Enix to ask about all of the above, and will update if they deign to tell me. In the meantime, if you've been waiting all these long years to make your move on Final Fantasy 7, now might be the time: It's currently on sale on Steam for $4.79/£5/€5.19.
