Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth adds whole new cities not in the original JRPG "to go deeper and create this whole worldview of Rebirth"

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will introduce entirely new cities that weren't in the original 1997 JRPG in order to, in Square Enix's words, "go deeper and create this whole worldview of Rebirth."

Speaking to Game Informer, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi revealed that whole new cities were added in order to flesh out the in-game world. 

"In Rebirth, we've added these types of cities like the Crow's Nest – totally new cities that did not exist in the original to go deeper and create this whole worldview of Rebirth," Hamaguchi said. "We reach this area after completing a quest, and then this place unlocks. The residents already know Cloud and the party are a part of Avalanche."

You've probably heard by now that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is taking a decidedly more open-world approach compared to 2020's more linear Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and just recently we learned that its setting was inspired by The Witcher 3 and Horizon Forbidden West. It's worth noting, however, that at roughly 40 hours, Rebirth's main campaign itself isn't significantly longer than Remake.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is a PS5-exclusive launching February 29. We recently spent some hands-on time with the sequel for our Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth preview, and we left reassured that it's looking like one of the best JRPGs on the horizon.

"Despite all the changes that are likely to come, then, previewing Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth reassures me that the game won't be morphed into something unrecognizable," writes GR's Iain Harris. "And now, I'm keener for the unfamiliar; what it brings."

For everything else on its way to Sony's hardware, be sure to keep tabs on our up-to-date guide to upcoming PS5 games.