Final Fantasy 9 Remake Gets Official Update

Final Fantasy 9 is a legendary entry for a reason. It came into being as a means of recapturing the “classic” crystalline feel of the original series entries, but ended up becoming something so much more. The cast was instantly memorable, the locales were gorgeous, and strangely, it was one of the only Final Fantasy games that featured multiplayer. We’ve seen echoes of it pop up in other games for years, including in Final Fantasy projects like Dissidia and Theatrhythm.

There are myriad reasons why people would choose Final Fantasy 9 as their favorite series entry, and as a result, fans want to see it remade as quickly as possible. Now, thanks to a quote from Final Fantasy producer Naoki “Yoshi P” Yoshida on YouTube, we know that a Final Fantasy 9 remake is on the company’s radar [via GamesRadar].

Zidane holding blades in Final Fantasy Dissidia.

Speaking at a panel at Final Fantasy 14 Fan Fest Berlin, Yoshi-P spoke briefly about the idea of remakes for Final Fantasy 6, Final Fantasy 8, and Final Fantasy 9. He mentioned that these games will need multiple entries, like Final Fantasy 7‘s remake project, to do the original titles justice.

Here’s what Yoshida had to say on the matter:

“Of course I understand the feelings of the players, but you gotta think about it…Look at Final Fantasy 6, it’s such an incredibly huge game. The scale is just immense. So, of course, now because you are working on the Final Fantasy 7 series, I do get that people would be asking for remakes of other titles. But if we did remake those other titles, we’d probably end up having to release them in four or maybe even five installments.”

So there you have it. As far as one key higher-up at the company is concerned, it would be a huge task, but something that is technically feasible now that production on the Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy is wrapping up.

While Yoshi-P knows the business internally better than anyone on the outside, I do think it’s possible to remake most of these games with just one entry. It would be a huge undertaking for sure, but not every RPG needs to be remade in three or more chunks. If you captured the core of the original and added the open world for fans to explore without the chapter-based system of Final Fantasy 7‘s remake trilogy, that could still work.

At the end of the day, Final Fantasy fans just want quality. It’s been key to the franchise’s main entries, and although Square Enix does falter every now and then, most of the series holds up for that reason.