Rumors are swirling that Square Enix has all but abandoned the project, which the Japanese publisher still hasn’t officially confirmed—though the gaming community has been buzzing about it for years.
On the ResetEra forums, well-known insider NateDrake weighed in on the status of the still-unannounced remake. According to his latest info, the game is technically still in development, but he cautioned that a new check might be necessary. Just about a month ago, NateDrake heard from a single source that the project was on the brink and possibly canceled, though that claim remains unverified.
The timing for talk of cancellation couldn’t be worse: yesterday marked the 25th anniversary of Final Fantasy IX’s original Japanese launch—July 7, 2000 on PlayStation 1. It reached North America in November and Europe in February of 2001. Many hoped Square Enix would use this anniversary to finally announce the rumored remake, but instead, the company only released a short celebratory video (watch it below).
Even if development is still on, it’s worth remembering the earlier rumors: this remake was never expected to be on the same massive scale as Final Fantasy VII’s ongoing episodic overhaul (which now has two parts, with a third on the way). Instead, this would be a single title meant to condense everything from one of the PlayStation’s final blockbusters—by then, PS2 had already launched.
The existence of the Final Fantasy IX Remake first leaked via a giant GeForce Now database breach that revealed countless unannounced projects. Of all the Square Enix games in that leak, nearly every one came to fruition—except this one, which suggests work was indeed underway. With any luck, the project hasn’t been axed, and players will once again get to journey across Gaia with Zidane and company in a way they’ve never seen before.
