# Naoki Hamaguchi (浜口直樹)
**Naoki Hamaguchi** (浜口直樹) is a Japanese video game director and executive at [Square Enix](https://www.edgepedia.org/square-enix) who leads the [Final Fantasy VII Remake](https://www.edgepedia.org/final-fantasy-vii-remake) trilogy, serving as co-director of Final Fantasy VII Remake (2020) and director of [Final Fantasy VII Rebirth](https://www.edgepedia.org/final-fantasy-vii-rebirth) (2024) and the concluding Final Fantasy VII Revelation (2027).[1](https://www.sony.com/en/brand/voicesofcreativity/interviews/pspa1/) A programmer by training, he joined Square Enix in 2003 and rose from lead programmer roles to an Executive Officer position in 2025.[1](https://www.sony.com/en/brand/voicesofcreativity/interviews/pspa1/) • [2](https://www.jp.square-enix.com/company/en/news/files/9ac53f2f381de8e15cecedaae031d93e.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Joined Square Enix | 2003, contributing to Final Fantasy XII; later worked on the Final Fantasy XIII series and Mobius Final Fantasy[1](https://www.sony.com/en/brand/voicesofcreativity/interviews/pspa1/) |
| Remake trilogy roles | Co-director of Final Fantasy VII Remake (game design and programming); sole director of Rebirth and Revelation[3](https://www.unrealengine.com/developer-interviews/how-square-enix-leveraged-unreal-engine-to-modernize-final-fantasy-vii-remake?lang=en-US) • [4](https://www.rpgfan.com/feature/final-fantasy-vii-rebirth-director-naoki-hamaguchi-interview/) |
| Executive Officer | Appointed effective April 1, 2025[2](https://www.jp.square-enix.com/company/en/news/files/9ac53f2f381de8e15cecedaae031d93e.pdf) |
| Awards | GRAND AWARD, PlayStation Partner Awards 2024 Japan Asia for Rebirth, back-to-back after Remake; Japan Game Awards 2024 Award for Excellence[1](https://www.sony.com/en/brand/voicesofcreativity/interviews/pspa1/) • [5](https://awards.cesa.or.jp/2024/en/year/prize/09.html) |
| Engine choice | Kept Unreal Engine 4 for Rebirth and the third game rather than switching to Unreal Engine 5, citing schedule risk and an established in-house pipeline[6](https://automaton-media.com/en/interviews/final-fantasy-7-remake-trilogys-third-entry-is-progressing-very-smoothly-we-ask-director-naoki-hamaguchi-why-the-team-chose-not-to-switch-to-unreal-engine-5/) |
| Revelation release | April 8, 2027, day-one on PS5, Xbox Series X\|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC (Steam, Epic Games Store, Xbox on PC)[7](https://web.jp.square-enix.com/topics/detail/4157/) |
| Multiplatform stance | Calls dropping PlayStation exclusivity for Revelation "an inevitable outcome of the changing environment surrounding today's players"[8](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/final-fantasy/final-fantasy-7-revelation-ditching-ps5-exclusivity-was-inevitable-naoki-hamaguchi-says-because-players-are-no-longer-tied-to-a-single-piece-of-hardware/) |
## Career at Square Enix
Hamaguchi joined Square Enix in 2003 and worked on [Final Fantasy XII](https://www.edgepedia.org/final-fantasy-xii).[1](https://www.sony.com/en/brand/voicesofcreativity/interviews/pspa1/) He has described himself as an engineer first: he did not join the company intending to become a director, and chose programming because it was where he felt he could perform best, serving as main programmer on the [Final Fantasy XIII](https://www.edgepedia.org/final-fantasy-xiii) series.[9](https://www.sony.com/ja/brand/voicesofcreativity/interviews/pspa1/?s_pid=ctb_brand%2Fctb-ja_pspa1-ja) That series also gave him formative porting experience; he took part in bringing the three Final Fantasy XIII installments to Steam, an experience he later cited as a factor in releasing Mobius Final Fantasy on PC.[10](https://squareportal.net/2017/01/26/interview-talking-about-mobius-final-fantasy-final-fantasy-vii-remake-and-final-fantasy-xv-with-yoshinori-kitase-and-naoki-hamaguchi/)
**Mobius Final Fantasy.** Hamaguchi served as project leader of Mobius Final Fantasy, a high-spec smartphone RPG launched in 2015 that was later ported to PC with 60 fps and 4K support.[11](https://www.4gamer.net/games/360/G036041/20161109088/) The porting experience reinforced a production principle he has repeated since: build all graphical assets at high resolution from the start so that an unexpected platform port does not require redoing them, a lesson drawn from the Final Fantasy XIII ports.[11](https://www.4gamer.net/games/360/G036041/20161109088/) After joining Square Enix he also worked on Final Fantasy VII Advent Children and Crisis Core -[Final Fantasy VII](https://www.edgepedia.org/final-fantasy-vii)-, which he credits with deepening his understanding of the facial expressions of Cloud and the other characters.[12](https://www.square-enix-games.com/en_US/news/final-fantasy-vii-rebirth-developer-comments)
## The Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy
Hamaguchi was co-director of Final Fantasy VII Remake alongside [Motomu Toriyama](https://www.edgepedia.org/motomu-toriyama), with [Tetsuya Nomura](https://www.edgepedia.org/tetsuya-nomura) as director, leading game design and programming.[3](https://www.unrealengine.com/developer-interviews/how-square-enix-leveraged-unreal-engine-to-modernize-final-fantasy-vii-remake?lang=en-US) He became sole director for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, released on [PlayStation 5](https://www.edgepedia.org/playstation-5) on February 29, 2024.[4](https://www.rpgfan.com/feature/final-fantasy-vii-rebirth-director-naoki-hamaguchi-interview/) • [5](https://awards.cesa.or.jp/2024/en/year/prize/09.html) Remake's development cycle ran around four years, and Rebirth, a larger game, followed more quickly.[13](https://gameinformer.com/exclusive-feature/2023/09/20/square-enix-answers-6-burning-questions-about-final-fantasy-vii)
**Design approach.** For Remake, Hamaguchi described the goal as a "familiar-yet-new" experience: paying homage to the original world and lore while reimagining elements for modern audiences, and fleshing out the location gaps that the 1997 game's fixed-screen traversal skipped over.[3](https://www.unrealengine.com/developer-interviews/how-square-enix-leveraged-unreal-engine-to-modernize-final-fantasy-vii-remake?lang=en-US) The remake's battle system was conceived as a modern upgrade of the original's [Active Time Battle](https://www.edgepedia.org/active-time-battle), dividing roles between real-time action, which builds ATB gauge, and ATB-driven ability use, with a Classic mode letting the AI handle the action layer.[14](https://gigazine.net/gsc_news/en/20200409-final-fantasy-vii-remake-interview/) For Rebirth he took a similar approach of not binding the team too closely to the original game, even for elements that originated in it.[12](https://www.square-enix-games.com/en_US/news/final-fantasy-vii-rebirth-developer-comments)
**Revelation.** It launches on April 8, 2027, simultaneously on PS5, Xbox Series X\|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC, the first entry in the series to skip a [PlayStation](https://www.edgepedia.org/playstation) exclusivity window.[7](https://web.jp.square-enix.com/topics/detail/4157/) • [8](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/final-fantasy/final-fantasy-7-revelation-ditching-ps5-exclusivity-was-inevitable-naoki-hamaguchi-says-because-players-are-no-longer-tied-to-a-single-piece-of-hardware/) He has confirmed PC as the lead platform and stated that the multiplatform release will not in any way lower the quality of the third installment.[15](https://www.techradar.com/gaming/final-fantasy-7-remake-part-3-director-confirms-pc-as-lead-platform-and-stresses-a-multiplatform-release-will-not-in-any-way-impact-quality-on-ps5-xbox-and-switch-2)
## Technical and production philosophy
**Unreal Engine 4.** Around the time Rebirth development began, [Unreal Engine 5](https://www.edgepedia.org/unreal-engine-5) was still in its pre-launch phase. Hamaguchi judged that tying the schedule to Unreal Engine 5's roadmap risked stalling progress if the engine slipped, so the team stayed on [Unreal Engine 4](https://www.edgepedia.org/unreal-engine-4) with an in-house graphics pipeline that also makes optimization and porting to various hardware more straightforward.[6](https://automaton-media.com/en/interviews/final-fantasy-7-remake-trilogys-third-entry-is-progressing-very-smoothly-we-ask-director-naoki-hamaguchi-why-the-team-chose-not-to-switch-to-unreal-engine-5/) For the third game he argued that rather than rebuilding the pipeline from scratch in Unreal Engine 5, it is far more efficient to use the well-established Unreal Engine 4 pipeline and refine it with the experience accumulated on Rebirth.[6](https://automaton-media.com/en/interviews/final-fantasy-7-remake-trilogys-third-entry-is-progressing-very-smoothly-we-ask-director-naoki-hamaguchi-why-the-team-chose-not-to-switch-to-unreal-engine-5/) On Remake, his team had already built custom solutions in Unreal Engine 4, taking philosophies from Unreal Engine 5's Nanite to deliver stable graphics and earn [Steam Deck](https://www.edgepedia.org/steam-deck) verification.[16](https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/xbox/final-fantasy-7-director-on-xbox)
**Team continuity.** Hamaguchi attributes the trilogy's smooth progress to the core team staying together for over ten years since the first project, which keeps the chain of command clear and communication direct.[6](https://automaton-media.com/en/interviews/final-fantasy-7-remake-trilogys-third-entry-is-progressing-very-smoothly-we-ask-director-naoki-hamaguchi-why-the-team-chose-not-to-switch-to-unreal-engine-5/) He has said that if the team had to be rebuilt from scratch for Rebirth, he would probably have said it was impossible.[6](https://automaton-media.com/en/interviews/final-fantasy-7-remake-trilogys-third-entry-is-progressing-very-smoothly-we-ask-director-naoki-hamaguchi-why-the-team-chose-not-to-switch-to-unreal-engine-5/) On large-scale AAA development generally, he argues that the difficulty lies in the volume of data produced by many interconnected contributors, so a solid team structure and strong communication are essential, and consistency in that structure cannot keep changing.[17](https://as.com/meristation/reportajes/naoki-hamaguchi-desde-dentro-asi-busca-el-director-de-final-fantasy-7-revelation-cerrar-el-proyecto-mas-ambicioso-de-su-carrera-f202610-n/)
**Broad reach over peak specs.** In his view, what will matter in future triple-A development is not how high-performance an environment a studio can use, but how widely it can deliver the core of the same experience across different environments, from high-end PCs to handhelds.[8](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/final-fantasy/final-fantasy-7-revelation-ditching-ps5-exclusivity-was-inevitable-naoki-hamaguchi-says-because-players-are-no-longer-tied-to-a-single-piece-of-hardware/) He tells his team to ensure compatibility across a wide range of devices, noting that building only for high-end PC setups narrows the player base.[9](https://www.sony.com/ja/brand/voicesofcreativity/interviews/pspa1/?s_pid=ctb_brand%2Fctb-ja_pspa1-ja) For the Switch 2 ports he set a personal policy of not making any version's gameplay experience different because of the hardware, to avoid confusing players about which version to buy.[18](https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/News/2026/January/FINAL-FANTASY-VII-REMAKE-INTERGRADE-Interview-Naoki-Hamaguchi-Director-3010151.html) The ports added a Streamlined Progression option so players with limited time can still experience the story and world at their own pace.[19](https://www.rpgfan.com/feature/final-fantasy-vii-rebirth-naoki-hamaguchi-qa/)
## Recognition
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth won the GRAND AWARD at the PlayStation Partner Awards 2024 Japan Asia, making back-to-back GRAND AWARD wins for the trilogy after Remake.[1](https://www.sony.com/en/brand/voicesofcreativity/interviews/pspa1/) Rebirth also received the Award for Excellence at the Japan Game Awards 2024, where Hamaguchi signed the acceptance comment as director.[5](https://awards.cesa.or.jp/2024/en/year/prize/09.html) Square Enix appointed him an Executive Officer effective April 1, 2025.[2](https://www.jp.square-enix.com/company/en/news/files/9ac53f2f381de8e15cecedaae031d93e.pdf)
## References
1. [Voices of Creativity: Naoki Hamaguchi, Sony Group Portal](https://www.sony.com/en/brand/voicesofcreativity/interviews/pspa1/)
2. [Changes to Executive Structure and Executive Appointments, Square Enix press release (PDF)](https://www.jp.square-enix.com/company/en/news/files/9ac53f2f381de8e15cecedaae031d93e.pdf)
3. [How Square Enix leveraged Unreal Engine to modernize FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE, Unreal Engine developer interview](https://www.unrealengine.com/developer-interviews/how-square-enix-leveraged-unreal-engine-to-modernize-final-fantasy-vii-remake?lang=en-US)
4. [Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Director Naoki Hamaguchi Interview, RPGFan](https://www.rpgfan.com/feature/final-fantasy-vii-rebirth-director-naoki-hamaguchi-interview/)
5. [Awarded games: FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH, Japan Game Awards 2024](https://awards.cesa.or.jp/2024/en/year/prize/09.html)
6. [Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy's third entry is progressing "very smoothly": why the team chose not to switch to Unreal Engine 5, Automaton West](https://automaton-media.com/en/interviews/final-fantasy-7-remake-trilogys-third-entry-is-progressing-very-smoothly-we-ask-director-naoki-hamaguchi-why-the-team-chose-not-to-switch-to-unreal-engine-5/)
7. [『ファイナルファンタジーVII リベレーション』2027年4月8日発売決定！, Square Enix Topics](https://web.jp.square-enix.com/topics/detail/4157/)
8. [Final Fantasy 7 Revelation ditching PS5 exclusivity was "inevitable," Naoki Hamaguchi says, GamesRadar+](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/final-fantasy/final-fantasy-7-revelation-ditching-ps5-exclusivity-was-inevitable-naoki-hamaguchi-says-because-players-are-no-longer-tied-to-a-single-piece-of-hardware/)
9. [Voices of Creativity: 浜口直樹, Sony Group Portal (Japanese)](https://www.sony.com/ja/brand/voicesofcreativity/interviews/pspa1/?s_pid=ctb_brand%2Fctb-ja_pspa1-ja)
10. [Interview: Talking about Mobius Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy VII Remake and Final Fantasy XV with Yoshinori Kitase and Naoki Hamaguchi, Square Portal](https://squareportal.net/2017/01/26/interview-talking-about-mobius-final-fantasy-final-fantasy-vii-remake-and-final-fantasy-xv-with-yoshinori-kitase-and-naoki-hamaguchi/)
11. [「メビウス ファイナルファンタジー」開発陣へのインタビュー, 4Gamer.net](https://www.4gamer.net/games/360/G036041/20161109088/)
12. [FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH developer messages, Square Enix Blog](https://www.square-enix-games.com/en_US/news/final-fantasy-vii-rebirth-developer-comments)
13. [Square Enix Answers 6 Burning Questions About Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Game Informer](https://gameinformer.com/exclusive-feature/2023/09/20/square-enix-answers-6-burning-questions-about-final-fantasy-vii)
14. [How has "Final Fantasy VII Remake" changed from the original version? Interview with co-director Naoki Hamaguchi and scenario writer Kazunari Nojima, GIGAZINE](https://gigazine.net/gsc_news/en/20200409-final-fantasy-vii-remake-interview/)
15. [Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 director confirms PC as lead platform, TechRadar](https://www.techradar.com/gaming/final-fantasy-7-remake-part-3-director-confirms-pc-as-lead-platform-and-stresses-a-multiplatform-release-will-not-in-any-way-impact-quality-on-ps5-xbox-and-switch-2)
16. [Square Enix's Naoki Hamaguchi explains why the Final Fantasy maker has returned to Xbox, Windows Central](https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/xbox/final-fantasy-7-director-on-xbox)
17. [Naoki Hamaguchi desde dentro: así busca el director de Final Fantasy 7 Revelation cerrar el proyecto más ambicioso de su carrera, MeriStation](https://as.com/meristation/reportajes/naoki-hamaguchi-desde-dentro-asi-busca-el-director-de-final-fantasy-7-revelation-cerrar-el-proyecto-mas-ambicioso-de-su-carrera-f202610-n/)
18. [FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE Interview – Naoki Hamaguchi, Director, Nintendo UK](https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/News/2026/January/FINAL-FANTASY-VII-REMAKE-INTERGRADE-Interview-Naoki-Hamaguchi-Director-3010151.html)
19. [Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Director Naoki Hamaguchi Q&A, RPGFan](https://www.rpgfan.com/feature/final-fantasy-vii-rebirth-naoki-hamaguchi-qa/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Computing and digital systems › Computer scientists and computing pioneers (biographies)*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 19, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*
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