Final Fantasy VII Remake zoomed in on the 1997 classic JRPG, making a complete game from the opening hours alone. The upcoming Rebirth will continue the trend, further fleshing out the latter's expansive middle section and giving characters like Sephiroth an appropriately upsized role.
Speaking to Game Informer, producer Yoshinori Kitase discussed how the development team addressed the Sephiroth situation, with things being ratcheted up another notch: "Remake covers your encounter with Sephiroth, and now within Rebirth, we wanted to make Sephiroth this very clear antagonist and target for the characters to go and pursue through their journey."
In the original game, Sephiroth's presence was alluded mainly to by others in this section, and the signs of his passage were the breadcrumbs that led players forward. Considering how much screen time the One-Winged Angel got in Remake, we should expect to see a similar amount devoted to the now bonafide sex symbol.
Kitase continues, highlighting the antagonist's expanded role, who has been confirmed to be playable in a flashback sequence, remarking that "within the original game, Sephiroth was not seen very much in the world map, but in this title, we put this element forward."