Final Fantasy Tactics Remake Relies on Fan Preservation Efforts
- ⚡Xe⚡
- Sep 1
- 2 min read
At a panel during PAX West 2025, Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles director Kazutoyo Maehiro revealed why the original source code of the 1997 game no longer exists. According to Maehiro, the data was overwritten each time the game was localized into new languages, leaving no intact version of the original.
"We would basically take that data from the Japanese version and overwrite the English data on it, and we wanted to do another language, we would keep just stacking on top and overwriting and overwriting"
To rebuild the game for the upcoming release, the development team analyzed multiple versions they had available and turned to the Final Fantasy community’s preservation efforts. Fan-made websites became an important resource in reconstructing the lost code.
"So we kind of went on a journey to find the original version, and we were using whatever resources we had available to us, so all those different versions would be analyzing what was there to try to find what we felt was the original. On top of that, we actually had to go to different websites made by fans and look for data there, because we know you guys do such a good job of keeping all of that up to date."
Maehiro also confirmed that the PSP version, Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions, was not considered as a base. The team had no direct involvement with that release, and its additional content did not reflect the direction they wanted. Instead, the reconstruction focused on staying faithful to the PlayStation original, resulting in a hybrid code made from fragments of preserved data, fan archives, and newly recreated parts.
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-⚡Xe⚡
About FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - The Ivalice Chronicles
Since its original release in 1997, the award-winning FINAL FANTASY TACTICS has sold millions of copies worldwide and is a legendary title in the tactical RPG genre. Faithfully brought to modern platforms by a team composed of both original development members who worked on the original game along with new faces, FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - The Ivalice Chronicles recreates the 1997 release for old and new fans alike, releasing on all major platforms on September 30, 2025.
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