Rumour: Final Fantasy IX Remake Was Planned as a Single Game Before Development Stalled

According to Alex Donaldson (RPG Site), the Final Fantasy IX Remake was planned as a single game and had already progressed very far before development stalled. His comments, posted on ResetEra on July 28 while discussing Naoki Yoshida's remarks about potentially remaking Final Fantasy VI, VIII and IX as four or five installments, largely went under the radar at the time but have now resurfaced.

IE, there was an FF9 remake, and it was a single game, and it was very far along. Yoshida even made some vague comments like these hinting at the fact around the last expansion's FF9 tribute content. So, it is possible, with the right scope, which to be clear is obviously a smaller scope than FF7R. However for various reasons - surely a story for another day - that project stalled out, and it's no longer moving forward. And Yoshida makes comments like this to manage fan expectations.

While Donaldson did not explain what caused the project to stall, he said its development work still exists and that Square Enix could potentially return to it. He pointed to another recent example of the company changing course:

And of course, the thing is, the path can always change again. This new mobile Dissidia game spent the better part of a year effectively cancelled before being revived, for instance. So nothing is concrete and in the case of 9 that work is still there waiting to be revisited

Donaldson also explained what led him to believe the project was no longer active:

I did feel the game was truly dead when illustrations created as potential box art and as key art were just tweeted out for the anniversary.

Donaldson also discussed what he believes this could mean for Square Enix's wider approach to Final Fantasy after the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy. In his view, the company needs to put more focus on new stories rather than continuing to revisit the series' past, arguing that while remakes have performed well, they are ultimately offering diminishing returns.

Source:

resetera.com

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About FINAL FANTASY IX

FINAL FANTASY IX tells a grand story of love, war and betrayal in a world of incredible magic and larger-than-life characters. Zidane and the Tantalus Theater Troupe have kidnapped Princess Garnet, the heir of Alexandria, but to their surprise, the princess herself yearned to escape the castle and see the world for herself. Together, they explore the world and encounter new friends and enemies to embark on an adventure unlike any other.

FINAL FANTASY IX is available on App Store, Google Play, STEAM, Playstation, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, and Windows.