Given the popularity of last year’s remake of classic Japanese role-playing game Final Fantasy VII, it’s not surprising that publisher Square Enix is already thinking about future installments. According to Japanese trademark reporting site Chizai Watch, Square Enix recently took out trademarks on two titles: Ever Crisis and The First Soldier. In addition, they also trademarked the logo of Shinra Electric Power Company, an organization which plays a major role in Final Fantasy VII‘s plot.
According to Chizai Watch, these titles and logo were trademarked in mid-December, but this information was not made public until today.
Already, fan speculation has run wild regarding what these titles could mean or refer to. Both “Crisis” and “Soldier” are words which have frequently been used in relation to the world and characters of Final Fantasy VII. “Crisis” brings to mind the 2004 mobile game Before Crisis as well as the 2007 PlayStation Portable spin-off Crisis Core. In particular, Crisis Core focuses on popular character Zack Fair, who fans would be excited to see in a new game.
Meanwhile, “Soldier” is a term often heard in-universe, as many characters in Final Fantasy VII – including protagonist Cloud – are associated with the military. In particular, the word “SOLDIER” in all caps has been used to denote characters who have received special training and/or enhancements. The title “First Soldier” could refer to a number of characters, so it is difficult to determine at this time what sort of game a “First Soldier” title might be.
The trademarking of the Shinra logo could indicate that the company will be playing a larger role in later installments of the remake. It could also appear on clothes and other tie-in merchandise. However, some fans also theorized that this trademark could indicate a spinoff game focusing on Shinra and its history.
It is also possible that these titles will be used for future installments of the remake, as the first was merely called Final Fantasy VII Remake (often shortened to FF7R). Right now, Square has not revealed any information regarding what these mysterious new trademarked titles might be. The closest we got was an interview in July of last year, in which Square revealed that development is underway, and that the next game will go deeper into the relationship between Cloud, and his iconic enemy, Sephiroth.
What do you think “Ever Crisis” and “The First Soldier” could be? Let us know!
