With Grand Theft Auto VI launching at retail with a code-in-a-box release on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S , PlayStation ending production of discs in 2028 , and publishers such as CAPCOM reporting that digital sales comprise the vast majority of total sales , it definitely feels like the days of actual physical releases may indeed come to an end . Despite launching in less than a year, Square Enix's Final Fantasy VII Revelation may also skip a proper physical release, although series director Naoki Hamaguchi wants some kind of physical edition of the game . But the challenges may not be strictly related to maximizing profits .

"We're still having internal discussions on what the exact SKU product lineup is going to be for Revelation," Hamaguchi-san told GamesRadar+ during last week's Final Fantasy XIV Fan Fest (where Yoshi-P mentioned Final Fantasy XVII in a sort of official capacity ), "so I can't say anything particularly definitive at this point in time. But I am working to make the arrangements to allow us to have some kind of physical edition."

Despite the shift to digital-only releases , Hamaguchi-san believes that a physical release is always going to be available , in some form. "Maybe you'll have a box with the code inside it, or maybe key cards like Nintendo's doing, or a boot disc or something. I feel like there'll always be something, and I hope there will be."

Although the Final Fantasy VII Revelation director wants to offer a physical release , which will likely happen as he is aware he would be "ripped to pieces" if they announce a physical edition that will not come out later , Hamaguchi-san makes some interesting considerations regarding size restrictions and other console rules and regulations .

"Obviously, say, if you're talking to Nintendo, there's considerations about the storage limits on key cards and things like that, and then other platforms about how much you can put onto a disc," Hamaguchi explains. "Each platform and first-party have their own specific rules and regulations that we need to take into account, and think about what format is actually going to be best for the game. These are the discussions that we're having at this point in time. I do hope that we'll be able to come up with something that is as close as possible as to what players and fans are going to want, but you'll have to look forward to future announcements for that."

In my opinion, the comments on the size restrictions are the most significant . Both Final Fantasy VII Remake and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth launched with two discs at retail on PlayStation, and with Final Fantasy VII Revelation featuring the largest world of the three , it sure is going to be a challenge to fit everything into two discs .

What is likely set to make the world even bigger is how the locations we have seen in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth are getting changed and expanded due to the effects of Sephiroth activating the Black Materia.

"If you take the grasslands as an example, they were big, expansive, but relatively flat. That was one kind of exploration you had in the previous game, the previous time you visited there," Hamaguchi-san told Express Online . "In Revelation, you have the Chocobo that will allow you to fly, go to new places and just have a really different sense of the area."

With new quests involving people dealing with the threat of the Meteor looming in the sky and a lot of new content, these changes should give the world "a completely different feel to what you were able to explore in Rebirth," but will also likely contribute to the massive size issue Square Enix is possibly facing.

Considering how producing physical goods in general is not getting any cheaper due to international tensions , there's a very good chance that it is Final Fantasy VII Revelation's massive size , and how to deliver it properly with retail copies on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S without jacking up the price is what is sparking the discussion within Square Enix .

However, Naoki Hamaguchi and his team already exceeded multiple expectations with the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy , so there's a good chance they will do so again, and allow Final Fantasy VII Revelation to be, possibly, the final entry in the series on PlayStation to get a proper physical release , if Sony doesn't revert its controversial decision .

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