"Final Fantasy 9 25th Anniversary Site Hints at Switch 2 Remake Reveal"

The excitement surrounding a potential Final Fantasy 9 remake has surged once again, thanks to Square Enix's launch of the official Final Fantasy 9 25th Anniversary website. The site, available in Japanese, highlights the game's original release date of July 7, 2000, and its upcoming 25th anniversary celebration this year.

The website teases fans with a message stating, "We are preparing various projects, including merchandise and collaborations to commemorate the 25th anniversary, so please look forward to it!" This seemingly innocuous announcement, along with the website's creation, has fueled speculation that Square Enix might be gearing up to unveil the long-awaited Final Fantasy 9 remake.

The timing of the website's launch has not gone unnoticed, particularly with Nintendo's upcoming Switch 2-focused Direct scheduled for April 2. Some fans are hopeful that Square Enix might use this event to announce the Final Fantasy 9 remake for the Switch 2. While the website mentions merchandise and collaborations, the phrase "various projects" has sparked widespread speculation.

Last year, Naoki 'Yoshi-P' Yoshida, the producer of Final Fantasy 14, discussed the challenges of remaking Final Fantasy 9. He noted the game's vast scope, suggesting that a remake might not fit into a single title. "Of course, I do know there are requests for Final Fantasy 9 to be made, but when you think about Final Fantasy 9, it’s a game with huge volume," Yoshi-P explained. "When you think about all of that volume, I wonder if it’s possible to remake that as a single title. It’s a difficult one. It is a tough question." He hinted that a Final Fantasy 9 remake could follow the multi-part approach seen with the Final Fantasy 7 Remake.

In early 2024, Yoshi-P announced Final Fantasy 9-themed bonuses for the Collector’s Edition and Digital Collector’s Edition of the Final Fantasy 14 expansion, Dawntrail. These include the Ark summon as a mount and a wind-up Princess Garnet minion. Pre-orders of Dawntrail also come with a wind-up Zidane minion. During PAX East, Yoshi-P playfully teased, "You may have noticed a lot of Final Fantasy 9 references here, but the reason is a secret," before miming zipping his mouth shut.

Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail Final Fantasy 9 Bonuses

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Rumors of a Final Fantasy 9 remake have been circulating since a 2021 Nvidia leak, which included a list of unannounced games. While Nvidia confirmed the leak's authenticity, the list might be outdated. Several games on the list, such as the Chrono Cross remaster, Kingdom Hearts 4, and the Final Fantasy 7 remake for PC, have since been announced or released. However, the Final Fantasy 9 remake and Final Fantasy Tactics, also mentioned in the leak, have yet to be officially confirmed. Additionally, a Final Fantasy 9 animated series was reported to be in development in June 2021, but no further updates have been provided since then.