Square Enix has finally answered the prayers of long-time fans by announcing an English localization for Before Crisis: Final Fantasy 7. The elusive prequel, which was previously locked to Japanese mobile devices, will be playable as part of Final Fantasy 7 Ever Crisis beginning July 8, 2026.
However, the announcement comes with a significant caveat. On the same day the localization was revealed, Square Enix confirmed that Ever Crisis is scheduled to shut down in October 2026. This limited window leaves players with only a few months to experience one of the most significant pieces of lost media in the Final Fantasy 7 compilation.
A Perspective Shift for the Turks
Before Crisis is unique in the Final Fantasy 7 universe because it flips the traditional narrative roles. Instead of following Cloud and his allies, the player controls the Turks, the secretive intelligence agency and assassin unit employed by the Shinra Corporation.
In this prequel, the player is tasked with opposing an earlier, more militant iteration of Avalanche. Unlike the small cell led by Barret in the main game, this version of the group is well-funded and actively attempting to wipe out human life using a powerful summon Materia. As the Turks, players act as the world's defenders, a stark reversal from the primary conflict seen in the original game.
The Future of Lost Media
For years, Before Crisis has existed only as a piece of lost media, with no full versions available to Western audiences since its original digital release on Japanese mobile phones. While Square Enix teased a potential remake during the Nintendo 3DS era, no concrete plans ever materialized.
The inclusion of the story in Ever Crisis provides an opportunity to finally see how it connects to the broader lore, including an answer to a major question regarding the ending of Final Fantasy 7. Despite this, the impending closure of Ever Crisis has drawn criticism toward Square Enix’s reliance on mobile-only titles with limited lifespans. As it stands, once the servers go offline in October, the official playable version of this story will disappear again, leaving fans to rely on archived footage and community-led documentation.
While there is no official word on an offline version or a standalone remake, some fans remain hopeful that elements of the game—such as the first canonical Weapon monster—might see a resurgence in future projects, including the next chapter of Cloud's journey in the Final Fantasy 7 series.