FF7 Rebirth Director: PS5 Platinum Was ‘Excessive’

Naoki Hamaguchi, director of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, described the game’s PlayStation 5 Platinum Trophy as “excessive” in a recent interview, saying it required near-perfect completion of almost all activities.

Hamaguchi said the team built Rebirth with a wide range of optional activities so players could choose what to do, but the trophy conditions ended up forcing mastery of nearly every element. “The completion condition for trophies ultimately required finishing every element of the game perfectly, which may have been a bit excessive in hindsight,” he said, adding that while the goal was to expand player freedom, the list “may have inadvertently introduced a different kind of pressure.”

He outlined changes planned for the trilogy’s final entry, noting the next game will have an even more varied world and design while the trophy list has been reworked with more attention to whether earning trophies is enjoyable on its own or whether they limit the player experience. Hamaguchi said the team aimed to make trophies satisfying rather than restrictive and laughed as he described the revised approach.

Players pointed to the so-called 7-Star Hotel Trophy as one of the toughest milestones because it effectively requires complete game completion. Independent estimates place the time needed to complete the tasks tied to that trophy at roughly 150 to 200 hours.

Rebirth is the second major release in the multi-part Remake project. The studio says Part 3 will conclude the trilogy, expand worldbuilding and gameplay systems, and apply a more measured approach to completion rewards and trophy requirements.