Why won't Square remake Final Fantasy VII?

Square is re-releasing FFVII on the PC, but they aren't remaking the game.

Whether you like the game or not, Final Fantasy VII is one of the most (if not the most) popular RPGs of all time. Although it is not always regarded as the best RPG or even the best Final Fantasy, one would be hard pressed to argue against the general popularity of the game.

Personally, I love Final Fantasy VII. I haven't been able to complete a Final Fantasy game that has been created after VII, and I've given each one a chance short of the MMO RPG (I completed Final Fantasy Tactics, but I'm not counting that one as it is a strategy RPG). The graphics of the recent games are breathtaking and the combat systems are interesting, but none of them can hold my attention. I have played through FFVII thrice myself, once with another person, and I've beaten individual segments of it repeatedly just to watch the CG movies. Every person whom I've introduced the game to has been impressed with it.

Like it or not, this is a game that gave video games credibility as something other than mindless entertainment, especially for its time. I know that games have come a long way since FFVII, but you really have to consider that this game came out in 1997, which was just a few years after the 16-bit era. Part of what made FFVII  special was the fact that it was so progressive in so many ways, including the fact that it showed how far video game technology could be pushed, even people who weren't conventional gamers could appreciate it. High production values weren't just for movies anymore; video games had them too now. Whether you find this game overrated or not, you have to admit that this game changed video games forever.

Final Fantasy VII looks extremely dated at this point, which is something that just happens over time. The deformed looking characters that were once impressive now look plain silly. Everyone looks like a mass of squares, triangles, and circles, which is extremely distracting. I have no idea why Square can't just remake the game. What makes Square's decision extra irritating is the fact that they've gone out of their way to nickel and dime buyers by repeatedly re-releasing new versions of the pre-FFVII games. They can't wait to make a new version of the original NES Final Fantasy or the SNES titles to put on a handheld system or even a cell phone, but why not just remake the one that everyone wants? It is a bizarre choice. Even if they were to just redo the graphics by making the character models in HD, I'd be happy. How many years will we have to wait? In five years, this game will be twenty years old.

Look at Cloud's Popeye forearm connected to what looks like a hoof.