Bandai Namco Entertainment Asia and Square Enix held a Final Fantasy VII Rebirth launch event here in Manila. It’s the only launch event happening in Southeast Asia, and both the organizers and the fans didn’t hold back!
The event runs from March 1-3, 2024 at SM North EDSA. Fans can explore the recreation of one of the game’s iconic locations: The Gold Saucer. The free event has multiple PS5 set-ups so that people can try out the new game. The units were running the demo that is also available at the PlayStation Store.
There are also fun activities such as the Battle Square, where you can take aim and play the mini-game Pirate’s Rampage in real life, as well as a claw machine where you can win prizes and goodies. Unfortunately, the items themselves weren’t on display, so you wouldn’t know what prizes were available until you got them.
For goodies, I was able to get an FF7 tote bag with a clear file, and a shikishi, a Japanese autograph board, inside.
The autograph board was for the stage activity on March 2, where Final Fantasy VII Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi held a meet and greet session with fans of the series. The first 100 fans got the chance to have their items signed, as well as have their photo taken with him. Fan turnout was amazing, with the 100 spots filling out quickly, and a long queue that patiently waited for the meet and greet session to finish for them to enter the area. Fans repped their love for the game, coming in cosplay, and bringing their merch. I also saw multiple people wearing the FF7 Uniqlo collab shirt as a way to show their love for the series!
As mentioned, the meet and greet session lasted hours, with director Hamaguchi taking his time with every person, hearing their stories out and diligently answering their questions. It was nice to see the fans not getting rushed out off the stage and being able to communicate with the director well. While the questions were asked very intimately, with the conversation happening between the director and the fan, one fan I got to talk with shared with me that they asked about a PC release, to which he replied “No details.”
As for my experience, I was able to secure the final spot in the session and was allowed to only have one item to be signed. While I think that the shikishi would have been cool on my wall, I opted to have the cover of my Final Fantasy VII Rebirth copy signed. I mentioned to him that I was named after the leading man himself, Cloud Strife, and that my dad was a huge fan. He asked if I was able to play the game, to which I said, of course, I got to play because of Final Fantasy VII Remake!
Afterward, cosplay royalty Alodia and Ashley Gosiengfiao were also present as special guests and had their items signed. Alodia also presented a gift to director Hamaguchi as a sign of appreciation from her and her guild that also loves the Final Fantasy series.
Director Hamaguchi gave a message to the fans, thanking them for the warm welcome and encouraging them to enjoy the game. After the messages from both Hamaguchi and Alodia, a group photo was taken that signifies the end of the meet-and-greet session.
But even after the scheduled activities, fans can still wander and take photos around The Gold Saucer. Have your own date surrounded by fireworks at the Skywheel, strike a pose with Cloud Strife, Sephiroth, and Zack at the photo area, or take a rest at the Chocobo Stop!
People also took photos with the multiple cosplayers who attended yesterday. Among them were Zackt as Cloud Strife, Roxanne Kho as Tifa, ELIJ as Reno, Nicola Ber as Aerith, and many more.
We even had a mini Chocobo!