The excitement surrounding the long-awaited Final Fantasy 9 remake has surged once again following Square Enix's launch of an official Final Fantasy 9 25th Anniversary website. The site, which is in Japanese, highlights the game's original release date of July 7, 2000, and celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.
"We are preparing various projects, including merchandise and collaborations to commemorate the 25th anniversary, so please look forward to it!" the website declares. This seemingly innocuous statement, combined with the anniversary website's existence, has fueled speculation that Square Enix might finally unveil the much-anticipated Final Fantasy 9 remake.
The timing of the website's launch has not gone unnoticed by fans, especially with Nintendo set to hold a Switch 2-focused Direct on April 2. Some fans are hopeful that Square Enix will announce the Final Fantasy 9 remake for the Switch 2 during this event. However, it's important to note that the website only mentions merchandise and collaborations, though the mention of "various projects" has certainly stirred excitement and speculation.
Last year, Final Fantasy 14 producer Naoki 'Yoshi-P' Yoshida discussed the potential challenges of remaking Final Fantasy 9, citing its vast content. "Of course, I do know there are requests for Final Fantasy 9 to be made, but when you think about Final Fantasy 9, it’s a game with huge volume," Yoshi-P remarked. "When you think about all of that volume, I wonder if it’s possible to remake that as a single title. It’s a difficult one. It is a tough question." He hinted that a remake might follow the format of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake, which is being released as a planned trilogy.
Earlier in 2024, Yoshi-P announced Final Fantasy 9-themed bonuses for the Collector’s Edition and Digital Collector’s Edition of the Final Fantasy 14 expansion, Dawntrail. These include Final Fantasy 9's Ark summon as a mount and a wind-up Princess Garnet minion. Pre-orders of Dawntrail also came with a wind-up Zidane minion. During PAX East, Yoshi-P teased the audience, saying, "You may have noticed a lot of Final Fantasy 9 references here, but the reason is a secret," before playfully zipping his mouth shut.
Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail Final Fantasy 9 Bonuses
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Rumors about a Final Fantasy 9 remake have been circulating since a 2021 Nvidia leak revealed a list of upcoming titles, which included several Square Enix games. While some of these games have since been announced or released, such as the Chrono Cross remaster, Kingdom Hearts 4, and the Final Fantasy 7 remake for PC, the Final Fantasy 9 remake and Final Fantasy Tactics remain unconfirmed. Additionally, a few months before the Nvidia leak, in June 2021, reports surfaced about a Final Fantasy 9 animated series in development, though no updates have been provided since then.
