The remake of Final Fantasy 9 – much rumored and highly awaited – seems to have been put “on ice” according to recent commentary coming from one of the well-respected industry insiders, NateTheHate. For many years speculation has raged about the possibility of a contemporary return to Gaia, and now the insider believes that the ambitious undertaking is probably frozen or indefinitely shelved, leaving its immediate future unclear. This marks a new blow for fans eagerly awaiting a formal announcement for the beloved 2000 PlayStation classic, especially in light of the groundbreaking and ambitious multi-part launching of Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy-an undertaking that has definitely set the bar high for reimagining literary JRPGs.
Latest rumors owe their existence to a post made on X, the social media platform where NateTheHate was asked anything about updates for the project. NateTheHate countered this assumption by saying that there was a very deep absence of new information in trying to figure out the current state. He stated: “I have no new info to share” with respect to the status of the game. Based on these statements, he concluded Square Enix is on a temporary hold in actually developing the title anymore. Though he did not rule out an outright cancellation, it does rather imply that the remake won’t be realized within the timeline many devoted followers had previously hoped for.
The buzz and hope for a Final Fantasy 9 remake first garnered momentum in 2021 when the title suddenly showed up in one of Nvidia’s GeForce Now leaks alongside many other unannounced titles such as Final Fantasy 10. There was never any shortage of rumors, buoyed because the original title was much loved, albeit by a somewhat niche audience, in larger discussions and representations of Final Fantasy. Adding to it all, earlier this year, Square Enix inaugurated a special site to actually celebrate the 25th anniversary of Final Fantasy 9 – a move most observers interpreted to be a possible prelude to an eventual official statement about a remake. The commercial success of the new-age Final Fantasy 7 saga has already created an appetite in the market for such reimaginings, thus making a high-budget remake of Final Fantasy 9 for the publisher highly logical considering the game’s severe cult following.
This latest entry from a known industry source, however, offers a healthy dose of pessimism into the hopeful wait. For now, that rumored delay stands as yet another in an ever-growing compilation of speculation within the rumor mill of the gaming industry. Although NateTheHate’s words, like all other unconfirmed leaks, remain subject to the insider’s own track record, interpretation, and it should be borne in mind that any announcement regarding the status of a project will be made by Square Enix. Until Square Enix actually makes that official announcement as to whether or not the project is currently active, then people will really not know the fate of the long-ago highly desired Final Fantasy 9 remake.
