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During Square Enix's E3 event that was held this morning, the company announced plans to bring iconic game Final Fantasy VII to iOS "before the end of summer" this year. Little detail was made available on the game aside from an upcoming release date, but it appears it's a port of the original PS1 game and not the Final Fantasy VII remake that was announced by Sony earlier this week.

Square Enix has made the first six Final Fantasy games available on iOS devices, but Final Fantasy VII for iOS will mark the first Final Fantasy port coming from a PlayStation game. Released in 1997, Final Fantasy VII was the first game in the Final Fantasy series created for PlayStation and it quickly became one of the most popular Final Fantasy games.


In 2013, Square Enix producer Takashi Tokita said in an interview that a release of Final Fantasy VII was "years away" from release on iOS because of the space limitations on the platform. "It's that currently, space will be an issue," he said. "Phones won't be able to contain the space it takes. It's over a gigabyte. People are probably going to have to wait for a few years."

Prior to 2015, Apple limited the size of apps to 2GB, but in February, that limit was expanded to 4GB, perhaps making games like Final Fantasy VII more feasible on iOS. A PC port of Final Fantasy VII comes in at over 3GB, so it's possible that the 2GB size restriction was the limiting factor.

A game that's 3GB in size will be a tough sell to customers who have 16GB iPhones and iPads, but upcoming features in iOS 9 could help slim down the install size of Final Fantasy VII and other games that take up a lot of storage space. App Thinning, a feature Apple introduced at WWDC, allows developers to optimize apps for specific devices for the first time. For example, a game being played on the iPhone won't be required to download all the iPad art assets, saving much needed space.
The App Store and operating system optimize the installation of iOS and watchOS apps by tailoring app delivery to the capabilities of the user's particular device, with minimal footprint. This optimization, called app thinning, lets you create apps that use the most device features, occupy minimum disk space, and accommodate future updates that can be applied by Apple. Faster downloads and more space for other apps and content provides a better user experience.
Square Enix also gave an update on Kingdom Hearts Unchained X, its upcoming smartphone game. Unchained X was previously announced in May, but as of today, Square Enix has confirmed that it will be available worldwide when it launches.

Article Link: Square Enix to Bring Final Fantasy VII to iOS in 2015
 

rv.public

macrumors newbie
Feb 11, 2015
6
13
App Thinning, a feature Apple introduced at WWDC, allows developers to optimize apps for specific devices for the first time.

This is called "Slicing" (one aspect of App Thinning), but iOS 9 also includes another aspect of App Thinning called "On-Demand Resources" which allows for loading assets from the app store on demand. So as the user progresses through the game, more assets are downloaded and unused assets are removed.
 
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AngerDanger

Graphics
Staff member
Dec 9, 2008
5,429
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In 2013, Square Enix producer Takashi Tokita said in an interview that a release of Final Fantasy VII was "years away" from release on iOS because of the space limitations on the platform. "It's that currently, space will be an issue," he said. "Phones won't be able to contain the space it takes. It's over a gigabyte. People are probably going to have to wait for a few years."

Well, it's still compliant with XKCD's definition of 'a 'few':

words_for_small_sets.png
 
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RoboCop001

macrumors 68000
Oct 4, 2005
1,555
444
Toronto, Canada
SO MUCH YES!

Classic FF VII on the subway. Remake at home. FF VII everywhere.

I wonder if they'll keep the remake turn-based or if they'll adopt a similar battle system to FF XV? I don't mind that system. I'm really stoked for that remake, especially since the director and designer from the original are directing and producing it! YUUUSSSS!
 

Cougarcat

macrumors 604
Sep 19, 2003
7,766
2,553
I so want to buy a PS4 to play the remake, but I don't have much time for gaming anymore...family and all. However, a pocket edition that I can play at lunch and out and about, that's what I'm talking about.

It's coming "first to Playstation," so it should come to the PC too. Maybe even the Mac, Square Enix is pretty friendly with Feral these days.
 

autrefois

macrumors 65816
iOS 9 also includes another aspect of App Thinning called "On-Demand Resources" which allows for loading assets from the app store on demand. So as the user progresses through the game, more assets are downloaded and unused assets are removed.

What a horrible idea. What if you're out of WiFi / cell range? What if the game or its resources are no longer available (dev goes out of business, doesn't pay their yearly subscription, etc)? What if the App Store is down, or Apple discontinues or changes this feature and the developer doesn't update their app: then you're just stuck?

I have a better idea: why don't Phil and Apple stop skimping on device space instead? Why should I have to be constantly downloading things (or parts of things) that I purchased instead of storing them locally if I want?
 

Sunday Ironfoot

macrumors regular
Apr 14, 2011
213
383
I fail to understand why this game would be 3GB on iOS when the original PlayStation version was 1.95GB max (650MB CD x3 disks). Also modern compression algorithms (H.264 video, AAC audio) are superior to what you had on PlayStation at the time, so the game should be smaller.
 

Benjamin Frost

Suspended
May 9, 2015
2,405
5,001
London, England
This is wonderful news!

What a great game Final Fantasy VII was on the original Playstation. Such cool music and a superb story.

Playing it on a 13" iPad would be a joy. This is the game we've all been waiting for.
 

goinskiing

macrumors 6502a
Jun 25, 2008
914
11
Meridian, ID
I have bought every Final Fantasy 7 on all available platforms, super excited to have my mobile Final Fantasy Collection complete through 7. Oh, and this E3 made me glad I already bought a PS4, the FF7 HD Remake is just a bonus. :D
 
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Deelron

macrumors regular
Jan 30, 2009
235
113
I fail to understand why this game would be 3GB on iOS when the original PlayStation version was 1.95GB max (650MB CD x3 disks). Also modern compression algorithms (H.264 video, AAC audio) are superior to what you had on PlayStation at the time, so the game should be smaller.

This, not to mention there's already pretty large games on the store, Real Racing 3 takes up ~2.7 GB on my iPad Air 2.
 

DemonMF777

macrumors member
Feb 27, 2014
90
39
S. Florida
I fail to understand why this game would be 3GB on iOS when the original PlayStation version was 1.95GB max (650MB CD x3 disks). Also modern compression algorithms (H.264 video, AAC audio) are superior to what you had on PlayStation at the time, so the game should be smaller.
But back then screen resolution was only 640 x 480... So retina/HD graphics will surely up the storage space needed.
 

ArtOfWarfare

macrumors G3
Nov 26, 2007
9,442
5,833
What a horrible idea. What if you're out of WiFi / cell range? What if the game or its resources are no longer available (dev goes out of business, doesn't pay their yearly subscription, etc)? What if the App Store is down, or Apple discontinues or changes this feature and the developer doesn't update their app: then you're just stuck?

You're right. Facebook should stop waiting until you navigate to a page and just download all of the pictures you might ever find onto your iOS device. Likewise, Safari should just download all of the content from the entire internet onto your iPhone. Apple Music should have the entire iTunes music library downloaded onto your iPhone.

Or you can recognize the fact that the internet is pretty darn prevalent these days. You'd have to go on a several day trip into the wilderness to go more than a few days without an internet connection. And if you do choose to go on such a trip, did you bring a means of powering your iOS device? If you're so determined to game in the wilderness for a week on your iPhone, why not bring a satellite internet case with you (yes, satellite internet is a thing, and you can get a connection to your iPhone from anywhere within Earth's atmosphere if you are so inclined. Also, the internet exists on Pluto thanks to the Deep Space Network... I don't think there are any iPhone cases capable of connecting to it, though.)
 
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Traverse

macrumors 604
Mar 11, 2013
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Here
And stop buying their games because they're at support is pitiful. There are apps that I've never been updated for the iPhone 5 screen and some apps quit working and we're just pulled even though people paid for them.
 
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