New Final Fantasy 9 Development is Fueling Remake Rumors

Since June 30, Square Enix has posted new pieces of Final Fantasy 9 artwork on social media in observance of the game’s upcoming 25th anniversary, sparking speculation among fans that a remake announcement is imminent. The art pieces in question featured locations and characters from Final Fantasy 9, including the Iifa Tree and Tantalus’ theater stage.

The 25th anniversary of Final Fantasy 9 will fall on Monday, July 7, to coincide with the date it was released for the original PlayStation console in Japan in 2000. Final Fantasy 9 was subsequently released in North America four months later, on November 14. Since then, modernized ports of Final Fantasy 9 have emerged on consoles like the PS4 and the Switch. Rumors surrounding a remake of Final Fantasy 9 were sparked in 2021 following the infamous Nvidia GeForce Now leak, which predicted the existence of projects like Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles and Sony bringing some of its first-party titles to PC.

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Whether or not a remake of Final Fantasy 9 is revealed on July 7, that has not stopped fans from expressing their hopes for one after Square Enix’s latest social media posts. As reported by Push Square, the Final Fantasy social media pages have posted three new pieces of Final Fantasy 9 artwork, with different locations and characters featured in each. Two of these art pieces were featured on June 30, with the third one arriving on July 1. The first post about Final Fantasy 9 was a calendar by artist Yuya Ishihata, which featured the game’s main cast on Tantalus’ main theater stage. The next June 30 picture, illustrated by character designer Toshiyuki Itahana, showed the game’s main villain, Kuja, staring at the roots of the Iifa Tree.

New Final Fantasy 9 Art Adds More Fuel to the Remake Rumor Fire

The July 1 post from Final Fantasy 9 was a picture by Itahana of the game’s main playable cast standing on top of the Iifa Tree’s roots, as two moons circled close in the sky. The posts came a month after Itahana’s Final Fantasy 9 character artwork made the rounds, which added more fuel to rumors surrounding a potential remake. As of this writing, Square Enix has not officially stated if a Final Fantasy 9 remake project is in development, so fans must wait for any potential information in the days ahead.

With an unforgettable cast of characters like Zidane and Vivi, Final Fantasy 9 is fondly remembered by longtime fans of the franchise. Only time will tell what news Square Enix has planned for July 7.