FF7 Rebirth Director U-Turns on Mod Stance

Cloud and Barret in beach clothes
Credit: Square Enix

Cloud and Barret in beach clothes
Credit: Square Enix

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth has finally made its way to PC, which means modders are going to do all sorts of strange things to it. Game Director Naoki Hamaguchi made fans worry about mods for the JRPG before, asking them not to make anything lewd with these characters. While that stance probably hasn’t changed, Hamaguchi is now looking forward to what mods can do for the PC release.

Speaking with Automaton, Hamaguchi clarified his statements about mods in Rebirth and says that they can enhance games in many ways. While Hamaguchi doesn’t want anything inappropriate done with mods, especially with characters like Tifa and Aerith, the director does feel that they can be a force for good. He even uses them in some PC games, which is probably why the stance has changed.

“As someone who plays games on PC, I sometimes use mods myself. I’m aware that mods have come to be accepted by the community and that they bring enjoyment to many players – I see it as a positive thing myself,” Hamaguchi clarifies. “I wasn’t trying to tell people not to use mods. It was more about being mindful. Both creators and users alike should ensure mods don’t detract from the intended game experience.”

Considering how fans of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth couldn’t help themselves when they saw Tifa in a bikini, we can only imagine what modders would do when they got their hands on her. While some fans find Hamaguchi’s request a bit prudish, adding mods that would enhance the game would be positive. Adding more costumes for the characters would be nice, alongside weirder creations like new monsters and pop culture references.

We have seen PC mods greatly enhance games in ways that consoles never could. Persona 3 Reload added the female protagonist from Portable after Atlus refused to add her, at least for now.

There’s a lot of good that modders can do for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth now that it’s available on Steam. We praised the PS5 version highly when it came out last year.