Back during the 2020 Game Awards Show, Nintendo debuted a trailer for the newest DLC fighter to join its increasingly expansive roster of characters inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate: Sephiroth from Square Enix’sFinal Fantasy 7. This announcement came as a big surprise to fans and long-time players. The addition of another Square Enix character inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatehas left some fans wondering about Nintendo’s future plans with its fellow developer.
Speculation about who thenextSSBUDLC fighterwould be was already rampant even before the announcement that a new character would be revealed at The Game Awards Show. This speculation included such characters as Doom Slayer, Nintendo characters like Dixie Kong, or even a character fromOverwatch. But Nintendo surprised fans with the announcement that the 78th fighter to receive the coveted invitation toSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatewould be the villain ofFinal Fantasy 7and Cloud’s greatest rival.
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Sephiroth is the main antagonist ofFinal Fantasy 7and wielder of Masamune. He has joinedSmashas the third fighter pulled from the ranks ofSquare Enix heroes and villainsand the second fromFinal Fantasy 7. Speaking of, he appears earlier than in the original game in the more recentFinal Fantasy 7 Remake.In regards to which is the burning question for many fans: does the inclusion of the One-Winged Angel hint towards a possible port ofFF7Remakefor the widely popular Nintendo Switch?
Past Characters Have Come Befoe Ports
First, there is precedent to consider here: Solid Snake first made the cut inSuper Smash Bros. Brawlon the Wii in 2008. This followed the 2004 release ofMetal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes, an updated version of the originalMetal Gear Soliddesigned specifically for the Nintendo GameCube. This was thefirst timeMetal Gear Solidhad made its way to a Nintendo platform. Solid Snake’s appearance inBrawlcame as a result of the relationship between Nintendo and Konami that madeTwin Snakesa possibility, and the relationships between Nintendo and other companies is something some fans would point at as an important factor in whether ports get made.
Secondly, theever-popular Joker from thePersonaseries made his way intoSmashjust before the announcement ofPersona 5Strikersin Japan,the upcoming action spin-off title for the West.Strikerswill be the first game on Switch bearing thePersonaname. Again in reference to relationships, Atlus and Nintendo have a long-running one including the inclusion ofPersonacharacters in the musical mash-up titleTokyo Mirage Sessions. Atlus also produced manyPersonagames for the 3DS and Nintendo has already stated its intention to bring franchises from 3DS to the Switch. And withPersona 5being one of the most popular titles of the past several years, rumors about Nintendo working to port it over as well are rampant online.
Thirdly and specifically to Square Enix, there was the addition of the Hero from theDragon Questseries. The character(s) were released several months before theport ofDragon Quest 11: Echoes of an Illusive Agewas released for the Nintendo Switch. The inclusion of the Hero heralded the beloved JRPG series’ first appearance on the Switch. So, there is precedent that Sephiroth’s appearance might indicate the same could be in the works for theFF7 Remake, especially given both entities are owned by Square Enix.
The Likelihood of a FF7 Remake Switch Port
However, in speaking to reasons why the port might not happen, there are a few issues to be addressed. From a technical standpoint, this would definitely be a behemoth of an undertaking, asFF7 Remakeis an enormous game. Weighing in at over 100 GB, the JRPG dwarfs the internal 32 GB hard drive of the Nintendo Switch. And while the Switch does support expanded memory, this is still a large roadblock to bringing over thehighly acclaimedFF7 Remake.
But with rumors swirling about whether or not Nintendo is planningan upgraded Switch Pro, some fans are wondering if that means a higher chance to see a Switch port ofFinal Fantasy 7 Remake. If Nintendo is indeed planning a Switch Pro, it leaves the door open that there might be a bigger internal hard drive, support for larger external memory cards, and increased graphical prowess. This would all point to the possibility from the technical standpoint thatRemakecould successfully be ported to the popular Nintendo system. If Nintendo is planning this move, thenFinal Fantasy 7 Remakecould potentially be a great title to help launch a new more powerful Switch.
Commercially, bringingRemakeover to the Switch would almost undoubtedly be a good move, and players are more than used tolong waits for Switch portslike 2020’sDoom Eternal. Although, it would make sense that Square Enix might be hesitant to produce a port that might not pan out how it hoped. TheFinal Fantasybrand is in an upswing right now with the popularity ofFinal Fantasy 14, the success ofFinal Fantasy 7 Remake, and fans eagerly awaiting more information aboutFinal Fantasy 16. Square Enix may, as a result, be trepid about porting overRemakeonly to garner ire from fans if the port isn’t executed properly.
While currently Square Enix has announced no official plans to portFF7 Remake, the relationship between the publisher and Nintendo is certainly strong enough to make such an undertaking more than a possibility. And now thatSephiroth has been featured as a bossbattle inSmashand has already become considered a high-tier character, many Nintendo fans are eager for a chance to playFF7 Remake.But for now, Switch players can still play the updated version of the originalFinal Fantasy 7on Switch and enjoy Sephiroth being more than just a memory for Nintendo now that he’s available inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimateis available for Nintendo Switch.
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