Square Enix officially registers January 31 as ‘Final Fantasy VII Day’

Everybody pour yourself a Mystery Drink

Square Enix has registered with the Japanese Anniversary Association to request January 31 is officially recognized as “Final Fantasy VII Day“.

January 31, 1997 is, of course, the fateful date that saw the legendary and genre-defining RPG hit Japanese retail stores. FFVII would synergize a combination of dramatic storytelling, beloved characters, a then-unheard-of world scale, and the massively popular Sony PlayStation console to spotlight a title that would, eventually, lead a global renaissance for the entire RPG genre — one that has only grown in popularity in the ensuing decades.

We’re delighted to announce “Final Fantasy VII Day” has been officially registered in Japan, to commemorate the anniversary of the launch of the original game.

To celebrate, here’s a special message from Yoshinori Kitase, producer of the Final Fantasy VII remake project. pic.twitter.com/GBphY8AYR4

— FINAL FANTASY VII (@finalfantasyvii) January 31, 2023

“The day that Final Fantasy VII came out, was not just a significant day for the Final Fantasy series, but also marked when so many big things started moving for those of us who worked on the game,” wrote FFVII director Yoshinori Kitase in an anniversary message. “I remember being overwhelmed at the breakneck speed with which video game technology was evolving, but also dreaming big things for the future. With the establishment of this official anniversary day, I will now always remember these things, and hold them dearly in my heart.”

Final Fantasy VII’s legacy lives on in the many re-releases and spin-offs that have hit the market in the past 26 years, not to mention a plethora of merchandise, including model kits, plush toys, figures, statues, and clothing. The world of FFVII has been repeatedly visited in titles such as PS2 release Dirge of Cerberus, the beloved PSP spin-off, Crisis Core, and, more recently, the highly acclaimed Final Fantasy VII Remake, which sees the iconic adventure and its memorable cast of characters return in a fascinating, eyebrow-raising retelling of its (literal) revolutionary narrative.