If there’s one trend that has dominated media over the past decade, it’s the effort to tap into nostalgia. Disney has relentlessly pursued the glories of old Star Wars adventures, while TV shows like King of the Hill, Scrubs, and Malcolm in the Middle are all being revived. Video games are also no stranger to leveraging nostalgia; this year alone has seen more than two dozen remakes or remasters.
Earlier this year, my [piece] on Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater raised questions about why we remake games and what purpose a remake is meant to serve. Inverse’s [report] sought to answer that question by speaking with the minds behind projects ranging from Final Fantasy 7 Remake to System Shock, and a common theme across these conversations was the idea of “comfort,” for both players and creators. In particular, a comment from Larry Kuperman, VP of business development at [company], has really stuck with me.
“Games have always had an emotional component, right? As art forms, games have long been able to elicit emotions from us,” Kuperman says. “When you look at remasters [and remakes] during a period of uncertainty and change, there’s genuine comfort in playing something that feels both familiar and new.”
Nostalgia is hard to define, but that warm sense of comfort feels like an accurate description. And it’s easy to see why comfort is in demand now. In challenging times, players find it difficult to invest in untested ideas and new hardware. Even setting aside global issues or the cost of living, the video game industry faces struggles—thousands of layoffs, studio closures, canceled projects. This has drastically altered the industry’s landscape, and while players may not feel it directly, they notice the effects.
But this isn’t the case with established brands like Final Fantasy or Metal Gear Solid, which many people know they’ll probably enjoy. From a consumer viewpoint, remakes and remasters are a safe bet. You have a connection to the original game, so you know, at least to some extent, that you’ll find something to enjoy.
From a more cynical business perspective, it’s logical that companies would heavily invest in remakes: there’s typically less concept development and prototyping, and a more assured return. We’ve seen plenty of rushed, cash-grab remasters, and we always will.
But what most surprised me during these interviews was how consistently and confidently developers believed that remaking games was fostering innovation or generating meaningful ideas about the future of these franchises. The question of why games are remade has a layered answer.
For Falcom, [Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter] allowed newer developers to experience the “roots” of the Trails series while exploring what the franchise had lost. In pursuing grand storytelling, Trails has shed some of the charming, concise narrative touches that made it feel intimate. The Trails in the Sky remake let Falcom reconnect with the comforting feeling that made the series beloved—the “coziness” fans adored.
For the team behind [title], the remake not only updated a classic to play better than ever but also introduced exciting new ideas. Expansions like Pillars of Eternity and Heavenly Spear added new Chinese and Japanese mythologies, major gameplay changes, and new campaigns; Retold retains the original’s comforting vibe but is brimming with fresh energy.
For both Final Fantasy and [franchise], developers stressed that these remakes aim to “delight” fans while paving a new path forward. A key part of this is studios and developers exploring what happens when old ideas meet new technology.
“In the 1990s, gaming hardware evolved at a very rapid pace, giving rise to countless masterpieces. Thirty years later, technology has advanced dramatically, enabling an even broader range of expression,” Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi says. “I believe using these advancements to reconstruct titles from that era creates new experiential value.”
Even with Metal Gear Solid Delta, the remake that sparked this interview series, [insights] from producer Noriaka Okamura shifted my perspective. The project’s philosophy was to create “a remake that’s overly faithful,” showing maximum respect to the original with minimal changes. While I might personally want more from a remake, I admire the team for having a clear vision and sticking to it. Even here, Okamura believes a remake that changes little can be the right step toward greater innovation.
Every developer I spoke with echoed similar sentiments. Some, like Hamaguchi, are fans of the original game who used their skills and ideas to reimagine it. And this is where the idea of “comfort” comes full circle.
With remasters and remakes, you have a known quantity—you understand a series’ strengths and the essence of each entry. This gives developers a solid base to layer new interpretations and elements onto. It’s through this process that we get innovations like Final Fantasy 7 Remake’s groundbreaking combat system or Nightdive restoring cut content from the original Shadow Man.
Because video games are so iterative, remakes seem to serve a larger purpose than in other entertainment fields. In an industry that’s still relatively young, learning from the past and integrating new technology is more critical than ever.
There’s much to glean from these interviews, but above all, it’s clear that remakes and remasters are here to stay—and that’s a positive development. In an industry seeking stability, a surge of nostalgia can be invigorating, perhaps exactly what’s needed for everyone to stay afloat and continue creating successful games.