Summary
- Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's discs are mislabeled in Japan and Asia, with the labels for the Data and Play Discs being accidentally reversed during manufacturing.
- Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's physical release includes two discs, a Data Disc used to install the game and a Play Disc to actually play it.
- Despite the label mix-up, the discs still work as intended, so affected players will need to use the Play Disc for installing and the Data Disc for playing.
As the release of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth began worldwide, Square Enix announced that some copies of the game sold in Japan and Asia were mislabeled, with the Data Disc and the Play Disc having their labeling switched during manufacturing. Square Enix posted a notice on social media and gave affected Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth players instructions on how to get around the issue.
Just as Final Fantasy 7 Remake initially launched on two PS4 discs in 2020, physical copies of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth are contained on two discs. These discs are the Data Disc and the Play Disc, and each is used to install the game onto the PS5. First, players will need to use the Data Disc during the installation process, and then switch to the Play Disc to complete it. Following that process, only the Play Disc is needed to start the game. Given that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth requires over 145 GB of storage space, and that each PS5 disc can hold as much as 100 GB of data, it stands to reason that two discs were required for physical copies of Square Enix's latest entry.
While physical discs are not necessary for preloaded editions of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth on the PlayStation Store, users who opted to buy a copy of their own may have some things to consider. According to Square Enix, an error in manufacturing resulted in the Play Disc and the Data Disc labels being reversed. Square Enix stated on its website that manufacturing was handled by Sony, and said that the latter company had not yet commented on the situation at the time of writing. While this problem is currently reported to have happened in Japan and parts of Asia, it remains to be seen if Western markets were affected by this issue.
However, Square Enix said that the contents of each disc remained intact. Ergo, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth players can just apply reverse logic by using the Play Disc to install the game and the Data Disc to play it instead. While the disc situation is not as divisive among Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth fans as the yellow paint controversy, It remains to be seen if either Sony or Square Enix will offer refunds to affected users, or if it will be seen as a rare collectible.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Mislabled Disc Workaround
Despite the mislabeled disc issue, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is already garnering high praise from reviewers. Only time will tell how Square Enix will keep up the momentum in a busy 2024 for the company.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
- Released
- February 29, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
Discover a vibrant and vast world in this standalone entry in the Final Fantasy VII remake project. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the second entry in the Final Fantasy VII remake project, which retells the story of the genre-redefining RPG across three distinct games. Iconic heroes Cloud, Barret, Tifa, Aerith and Red XIII have escaped from the dystopian city Midgar and are now in pursuit of Sephiroth, the vengeful swordsman from Cloud’s past who was thought to be dead. This new adventure can be enjoyed by all players, even those who have yet to play Final Fantasy VII Remake or the PlayStation original. Expect a new standard of cinematic storytelling, fast-paced combat and rich exploration across a vast world.
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Publisher(s)
- Square Enix
- Franchise
- Final Fantasy
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PC
- Genre(s)
- RPG
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
