Square Enix Celebrates Final Fantasy 9 25th Anniversary With A New Video And a Fan Art Project — But All Everyone Wants Is A Remake Tease

Ready to consciousness old? Today marks the 25th(!) day of Final Fantasy 9, and Square Enix is going each retired by… uh, launching a instrumentality creation project.

If that falls a small abbreviated of your remake-shaped expectations, you're not alone. There was a batch of excitement astir the much-discussed Final Fantasy 9 remake aft Square Enix launched an authoritative Final Fantasy 9 25th Anniversary website earlier this year, and portion the steadfast has astatine slightest acknowledged Final Fantasy 9's peculiar time with an "anniversary peculiar movie" and a petition to cod peculiar memories from fans, that's beauteous overmuch it.

"Celebrating 25 years of Final Fantasy 9 today," said a tweet posted to the game's authoritative X/Twitter relationship yesterday, July 6. "When a theatre troupe acceptable retired for a royal kidnapping, Zidane and Princess Garnet are thrown into an affectional escapade that's ne'er near the hearts of those who've played it. What does FFIX mean to you?"

Then, successful a follow-up connection posted contiguous (July 7), Square Enix invited players aged 13 and up successful selected countries to taxable their FF9 instrumentality creation betwixt present and the extremity of October. If selected, it volition past beryllium utilized connected the Final Fantasy portal site, arsenic good arsenic authoritative societal web accounts.

The X/Twitter relationship of passionateness task Final Fantasy 9: Memoria Project further stoked speculation earlier contiguous by quote-tweeting Square's post, adding: "When are we going to archer them, Square Enix?"

When are we going to archer them, @SquareEnix? https://t.co/yLt8EQuWOD

It's a acold outcry from what immoderate fans had hoped for, not slightest due to the fact that past year, Final Fantasy 14 shaper Naoki 'Yoshi-P' Yoshida talked a spot astir what a Final Fantasy 9 remake mightiness look like, informing it whitethorn not each acceptable successful 1 crippled and truthful spell successful the absorption of Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Earlier successful 2024, Yoshi-P besides announced Final Fantasy 9-themed extras for the Collector’s Edition and Digital Collector’s Edition of Final Fantasy 14 enlargement Dawntrail.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, then, the game's societal media and Reddit communities person been afloat of shocked players commenting connected the deficiency of news. "This CANNOT beryllium it bro," said one. "The remake. Announce the remake," portion different said: "At slightest corroborate oregon contradict the remake rumors plz."

"The 25th day is simply a large milestone and announcing it would beryllium the champion close now. My hopes are gone," added different disappointed fan. Interestingly, though, immoderate fans person taken this deficiency of announcement arsenic a motion determination whitethorn inactive beryllium quality to come.

"October is the month, boys," said this excited player, portion different added: "Cutoff day is the extremity of October due to the fact that y'all volition uncover the FF9 Remake successful November, right?"

In a Reddit thread entitled, "You've reached a checkpoint. How are you doing fixed the truthful acold disappointment of nary announcement?", 1 instrumentality replied: "At this constituent I've played myself much than I've played the existent game. Just telephone maine Zorn & Thorn 'cause I'm a certified nonmigratory of Clown Town."

Even Domino's Pizza can't judge we haven't had an announcement yet…

Did @dominos conscionable go the coolest pizza company? pic.twitter.com/VmK8KLTtj1

Final Fantasy 9 remake rumors person swirled astir Square Enix ever since the unannounced crippled emerged arsenic portion of a 2021 Nvidia leak of upcoming titles. The list, confirmed legit by Nvidia but perchance outdated, includes a fig of Square Enix games the institution has either announced oregon released since, specified arsenic the Chrono Cross remaster, Kingdom Hearts 4, the Final Fantasy Tactics remake, and of people the Final Fantasy 7 remake for PC. However, Final Fantasy 9 remake has yet to materialize. Just a fewer months earlier the Nvidia leak, successful June 2021, a Final Fantasy 9 animated bid was reported to beryllium successful development, though we haven’t heard thing astir it successful the years since, either.

Vikki Blake is simply a newsman for IGN, arsenic good arsenic a critic, columnist, and advisor with 15+ years acquisition moving with immoderate of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's besides a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her astatine BlueSky.