There was the scene where Shinra talks about the possibilities of mining the energy found within the planet, and yes, the admission of the link between VII and X was in the interview found in the Ultimania guide. However, I can't imagine that theory was cooked up after the game was made. Why include that scene in the game then? It's a direct correlation between the two games, without actually saying it.

In the interview, whichever staff member said it, don't remember who, but he said that the thought wasn't that Spira would become the world of FFVII, but that Shinra's descendants would continue his work, and as the world developed and space travel flourished, they would find and colonize another planet, and use this world to mine what would eventually be called Mako energy.

So, the two games are definitely linked. Too much connection in the name Shinra, and his ideas on what the company Shinra would eventually do. But, I think Prince Vegeta was partly right. The space travel stuff etc. sounds to me like one staffer's opinion or how he'd imagine it, rather than anything that should be considered canon.

nah, i doubt it. If this theory had any possiblity to be true, than the world where we played each game was the same or it had some direct relationship. Has no one here remembered the fact that EVERY SINGLE ff game had a guy named CID? But they had no relationships. so, whats the difference here?

Like with many other references to other instalments throughout the series, it seems the developers like including these things for sentimental value; they have no real purpose nor meaning - just there for show, or a nice little 'feature'. Kain's Lance being a weapon usable by Freya in IX, and Masamune being Auron's Celestial weapon [strongest] in X being the more notable items.

'Afterthought' is absolutely the best way to describe this inclusion in FFX-2. I agree there's no feasible way Square was thinking to connect FFVII with another game years down the line. After watching that scene in X-2, I think it's a little thickheaded to fail to see the implication that S-E intended, but Vegeta put it best: it's fan service, and to expand on Lurid's thought, it's perhaps the most heavy-handed injection of sentimental reference to past games S-E's used.

Nothing to get hot and bothered about. Most people tend to ignore/pretend this game never existed anyway.

I read that the FF games all take place in the same universe and in the same timeline, rather than different or parallel universes so it's down to your own interpretation and ideas.

If you want Shinra to be an ancestor of the Shinra Company founders, then that's all good.

Even though wikipedia says I dont think thats true because the ff7 world is called Gaia not Spira.Plus it couldnt be no way they are related.