Final Fantasy 9 has gotten a lot of promotion in the first half of this year for its 25th anniversary. A new website was created for the event, featuring new FF9 merchandise and new artwork from original artist Toshiyuki Itahana, and Square Enix even released a celebratory video for the huge milestone. Leading up to the anniversary yesterday, there were a lot of reasons to be excited about FF9. The biggest hope from most fans, however, was an official announcement of the long-rumored FF9 remake, which ended up being notably absent from Square Enix’s celebration post.
The rumor mill for a remake of FF9 remake began when the massive 2021 NVIDIA leak happened, revealing dozens of projects, most of which have now been announced. A later leak from the Epic Games Store detailing potential pre-order bonuses for FF9 remake, including “a Tetra Master starter pack” and “Thief’s Knives,” referencing the popular card mini-game and lead character Zidane’s main weapons, respectively. Now that the anniversary has come and gone, many fans are starting to lose faith in the remake’s continued development, but I’m not convinced it doesn’t exist (yet).
Final Fantasy 9 Remake Could Still Exist
The Game Has Yet To Be Officially Announced
All hope should not be lost. The FF9 remake could very well still exist, and Square Enix may just not be ready to show the game. A lot of worry about the game’s supposed internal cancellation comes from leaker NateTheHate, also known as NateDrake on ResetEra, who wrote a reply to a fan asking about the FF9 remake that claims “as of last check it remains in development” but that he “did hear a month or so ago that it was in trouble and possibly cancelled.”
As of last check it remains in development, to my knowledge; but I need to do a fresh check & see what a more current status is — as I did hear a month or so ago that it was in trouble & possibly cancelled. I only had one source on the cancellation possibility and need to verify the info further. – NateDrake
NateDrake’s assertion that he needs to check on the possibility of cancellation hedges the statement, so there’s no point in taking the possibility as fact. While the game could very well have been in development and canceled at some point, there don’t seem to be any additional sources or rumors specifically about a cancellation of the purported project. That message was posted right before the anniversary date, and when the rumored FF9 remake wasn’t announced, some fans placed more weight on the cancellation message.
Related
It Certainly Sounds Like FF9 Remake Is Getting Announced Soon
With Final Fantasy 9 finally celebrating its 25th anniversary, it certainly seems like Square Enix is gearing up to create a remake.
However, this rumor (along with the game’s existence at all) is just that: a rumor. Rumors should always be given their due skepticism. It’s reasonable to assume the remake existed at some point, given the pre-order bonuses, and the FF9 remake is also the last remaining Square Enix game that has not been announced from the NVIDIA leak. It could very well be that Square Enix simply isn’t ready to show the game, with the company going through a massive internal restructuring and shifting its business philosophy.
Canceling FF9 Remake Would Hurt The Square Enix Brand Even More
The Series Is Going Through An Identity Crisis
The muddy identity of Final Fantasy is in a bit of a crisis at the moment. Final Fantasy 16 is an almost straight action game, while Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is a remake of the most popular game that introduces a hybrid combat system, making it difficult for fans to ever know what to expect when a new FF game is announced. Almost every entry since Final Fantasy 10 has seen a drastic overhaul in tone, gameplay, game design, and pretty much everything else.
APZonerunner, a features editor at VG247, stated in a post on ResetEra that Square Enix had canceled numerous projects and that 2025 would be a quiet year for Square Enix, until its new business strategy to produce fewer games is in full swing. He speculated FF9 remake was not part of those cancellations and that it would be a while before it’s announced.
The massive success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which took inspiration from the Final Fantasy series and other JRPG franchises, has been turning the heads of both fans and Square Enix itself. Recently, it was reported that a shareholder at Square Enix specifically requested the next FF and Dragon Quest games be turn-based, based on Expedition 33‘s success. The idea of a Final Fantasy game being turn-based in 2025 or beyond is almost alien, so going back to franchise roots with a remake of FF9 seems like the safest way to test the waters for the future.
Square Enix needs to bring in new fans and retain franchise veterans, and the best way to do that is often with a modern remake of an existing popular game. The argument can be made that Square Enix has done that already with the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy, but a remake divided into multiple parts across multiple years and console generations isn’t the most appealing offering. If the FF9 remake is smaller scale and more of a graphical overhaul than anything else, it might be the game Square Enix needs right now.
There Are Two Major Events FF9 Could Appear At
If It’s Not At Either, The Game Could Likely Be Canceled
Personally, I never expected FF9 remake to be announced this week, given the current statuses of Square Enix and the Final Fantasy franchise. Both FF16 and FF7 Rebirth were financial disappointments, according to Square Enix, and while FF9 does have a lot of fans, the game isn’t as popular as FF7. A remake of FF9 isn’t a game that should be shadow-dropped on a random Monday, even if it is for the anniversary. Square Enix is also notorious for announcing games too early, like announcing Kingdom Hearts 4 for that series’ 20th anniversary in 2022 before largely going radio silent.
Square Enix, aligning with its new business strategy, would need to give the recently announced Final Fantasy Tactics remaster a chance to breathe for its September release, and announcing an FF9 remake now would detract from that game’s momentum. With that in mind, there are two big events left this year that could be good avenues for an FF9 announcement.
Related
“Don’t Toy With Us Like This Please”: Final Fantasy 9 “Tease” From Square Enix Has Fans More Hopeful Than Ever
Square Enix continues to tease fans about a potential remake of Final Fantasy 9, and fans are more hopeful than ever after a new post on X.
The first one is Tokyo Game Show 2025, taking place September 25 to 28. Square Enix is a confirmed exhibitor at the show and has announced major projects there in the past. That would also be right before the release of the FF Tactics remaster on September 30, and a FF9 remake announcement there could organically move the Final Fantasy conversation from Tactics to FF9.
The second potential reveal location is at The Game Awards 2025 on December 11. Square Enix has debuted trailers at the show before, but neither FF7 Rebirth nor FF16 were announced at the event in previous years. However, if FF9 remake is coming, and we don’t see part three of the Remake trilogy there, it’s possible that the FF9 remake could be officially announced instead.
If FF9 isn’t at either of these events, I’ll finally be convinced that the FF9 remake has been canceled. For now, the answer about whether Final Fantasy 9 remake has been internally canceled or not is simply that we don’t know. It’s too early to say one way or the other — not all hope is lost, but fans shouldn’t get their hopes up either.
Source: NateDrake/ResetEra, APZonerunner/ResetEra
Final Fantasy 9
- Released
-
July 7, 2000
- ESRB
-
T for Teen: Violence, Mild Language
- Developer(s)
-
Square Enix
- Publisher(s)
-
Square Enix
- Engine
-
Unity
- Multiplayer
-
Local Multiplayer
