Some fans have already started getting copies of the Final Fantasy VII Remake two weeks ahead of its April 10 release date. This is due to the street date breaking as coronavirus pandemic continues to spread worldwide.
With the virus spreading, businesses and countries have had to adjust. Closed borders and stores created a limited supply of physical copies of various games, which has lead to retailers selling games before the initial date.
Reddit user NateLo22 posted a picture of his copy, the $79.99 Deluxe Edition. The pricier box of Final Fantasy VII Remake comes with the base game, an art book, mini-soundtrack, steelbook case, and Cactuar Summon Materia DLC. Within two days of the initial posting, moderators took it down.
As stated before I would post what the inside of the deluxe edition looks like in person, don’t worry I will not post any spoilers from the actual game. from FFVIIRemake
Square Enix responded in a blog post about how the street date broke for Final Fantasy 7.
“As we prepare for the release of Final Fantasy VII Remake on April 10, we wanted to keep you updated on how the proactive measures being taken to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus are likely to affect the distribution and retail landscape in western regions at launch,” reads the post. “As you will be aware, many countries are limiting entry or closing their national and state borders and restricting the distribution and delivery of non-essential items. Understandably these restrictions are being implemented so that essential items can reach their destination as fast as possible. This does not mean that box copies of Final Fantasy VII Remake will not be dispatched, it just means that we cannot control the date the game may arrive.”
Square Enix does urge pre-order holders to check with their local retailer’s website to ensure they get a copy by April 10.
Final Fantasy is not the only game to have its street date broken due to the coronavirus outbreak. Doom Eternal was released one day early from GameStop, March 19, for social distancing reasons. It was set to launch on the same day as Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The same goes for physical copies in Europe for the remake of Resident Evil 3, which may result in a delay and could have fans getting their hands on copies from stores like Square Enix’s upcoming RPG.
Final Fantasy VII Remake will release with all of its pretty new graphics and new gameplay features on April 10 for PlayStation 4. It is reportedly a timed exclusive and will come to other platforms in March 2021.
