Final Fantasy 7 Remake was, for fans, an agonizing no-show at E3 2018. With Square Enix staging a dedicated E3 livestream for the first time since 2015, we guessed (incorrectly) there would be something about this long anticipated work. Alas, no.

What we do have, however, is at least the concession from director Tetsuya Nomura that, yes, this game was announced way too early. Cold comfort, especially for fans clinging to statements like “We are actually in development,” as a sign of progress.

“I am well aware of the fact that we announced it too early,” Nomura said to the Italian website Multiplayer (via Kingdom Hearts Insider). “but even in the industry, word was beginning to spread that we were working on the game, so we just decided not to keep it more secret and officially reveal it.”

So, that’s why we saw it in 2015 (and it was just a glimpse at the time, too). If nothing else, Square Enix gave a launch date for Nomura’s other project, the even-longer-in-development Kingdom Hearts 3, which is coming Jan. 29, 2019. Nomura told The Verge that development on both it and Final Fantasy 7 remake are being developed in parallel, meaning Final Fantasy 7 remake is out of the concept stages.

Nomura also agreed that Kingdom Hearts 3’s revelation (at E3 2013) was somewhat forced and premature, too. “Deciding when to announce your game to the public is always difficult,” he said. “In our case, we receive pressure from the fans even when we do not announce anything. ... People are waiting for new information regardless of whether the game has been announced or not.”

Nomura said his preference is that Square Enix reveal its games before rumors or leaks upstage what they’re doing. If nothing else, he’s being honest about what they’re working on, even if that leaves fans tapping their watches for years on end. This was the third straight E3 where Square Enix had nothing to show or say about Final Fantasy 7 remake.