Releasing remakes of classic games has proven to be very lucrative for some game studios like Resident Evil for Capcom and Final Fantasy 7 for Square Enix. Which is why some fans are asking for an FF9 remake.
While every fan is looking back at some fan-favorite Final Fantasy games that could get a remake, it does look like this one title from 2000 is sparking some speculation from the fanbase as to whether Square is ready to give it the modern-day polish.
Could FF9 be Getting a Remake?
Final Fantasy is celebrating the 25th Anniversary of FF9, and they just shared some new artwork for characters Zidane, Garnet, and Vivi. Check this out:
What’s also curious is that multiple websites have pointed out that an official website has been launched celebrating FFIX along with the reveal of several merch items that are based on the game. Besides stuffed toys, there are also some high quality figures.
Though launching a website for merchandise makes sense, VGC speculates that there could be an imminent announcement of a remake or FFIX, and it could come sometime this year; some are even hoping that it could coincide with the showcase of the Nintendo Switch 2.
Welcome to Gaia
For further context, Final Fantasy IX came out in 2000 for the PlayStation and was directed by Hiroyuki Ito. The story took place in the fantasy world of Gaia and focused on a war between nations in a medieval setting.
The main protagonist of the entry is Zidane who kidnaps the princess Garnet for the nation of Linblum. Eventually the two (and a growing cast of characters) team up to take down Garnet’s mother, Queen Brahne of Alexandria who was apparently behind the whole war—the usual Final Fantasy stakes.
Previous Rumblings
Though a remake hasn’t been officially announced, a leak back in 2021 had revealed that an FF9 remake was in the works. The very same leak was said to have contained files for several other games that have since been confirmed like the PC port of FFVII Remake, Kingdom Hearts 4, and a remaster of Chrono Cross.
With FF9 it does seem like Square could have been waiting for the 25th Anniversary of the game to make the announcement. Square’s Naoki Yoshida had said last year that they thought that a remake on the same scale of FFVII would be too large for a property like FFIX. He shared:
“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… 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.”
After its release in 2000, FF9 had been re-released in 2010 as classic titles for the PSP and PS3; plus a digital edition with special features released in 2017 for the PS4. After several years with no new entry, a remake announced for PS5 or onward does seem perfect.
After all, Square is already looking to close the door on the FFV7 Remake timeline with a third game, and after that, FFIX could easily take the slot of the remake title that releases alongside the mainline games. Then again, this is all just speculation.
A remake of Final Fantasy 9 hasn’t been officially announced, but players are hoping that something will be said about it soon.