Yoshinori Kitase, director and producer of various Final Fantasy titles throughout the series’ history, has further explained Square Enix’s decision to deliver its Final Fantasy 7 Remake as an episodic, multi-part series.

In a statement posted on the Square Enix blog Kitase, who directed the original 1999 PlayStation release, said the development team had the opportunity to “go beyond the story, world, and experience of Final Fantasy 7 in ways we’ve always dreamed of” and took this opportunity.

“From the depths of Midgar to the skies above the Planet. The multi-part format enables us to expand the story and turn it into an epic experience for fans and new gamers alike.”

Kitase went on to restate that attempting to fit everything from the original into one instalment, as opposed to releasing it episodically, would have resulted in compromises.

“We would have to cut various parts and create a condensed version of Final Fantasy 7,” he explained. “We knew none of you would have wanted that … I hope that by explaining a little more about our design decisions that you can appreciate the size of this project and what we have planned for this remake.”

He continued: “Going beyond the scale and depth of the world, narrative and gameplay from the original to deliver something that feels familiar yet new. As I said before, we like delivering surprises.”

This is the second time Kitase has defended the decision. On December 7, he said “a proper HD remake of Final Fantasy 7 that maintains the same feeling of density of the original results in a volume of content that couldn’t possibly fit into one instalment”

On December 6, Square Enix announced “Final Fantasy VII Remake will play across a multi-part series, with each entry providing its own unique experience.” It did not provide any further details on the game.

The development of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake is being assisted by CyberConnect2, the studio known for its work on the Naruto fighting games, the .Hack series of role-playing games, and Asura’s Wrath.