The excitement surrounding the much-discussed Final Fantasy 9 remake has been reignited with the launch of Square Enix's official Final Fantasy 9 25th Anniversary website. The site, which is in Japanese, commemorates the game's release on July 7, 2000, and highlights the 25th anniversary celebration happening this year.

"We are preparing various projects, including merchandise and collaborations to commemorate the 25th anniversary, so please look forward to it!" the website announces. This seemingly innocuous statement, coupled with the existence of the anniversary website, has fueled speculation among fans that Square Enix might finally unveil the long-awaited Final Fantasy 9 remake.

The timing of the website's launch has not gone unnoticed, especially with Nintendo's upcoming Switch 2-focused Direct scheduled for April 2. Many fans are hopeful that Square Enix will seize this opportunity to announce the Final Fantasy 9 remake for the Switch 2 during the Direct.

However, it's possible that these speculations might amount to nothing, as the website primarily mentions merchandise and collaborations. Yet, the phrase "various projects" has certainly sparked excitement and discussion within the gaming community.

Last year, Final Fantasy 14 producer Naoki 'Yoshi-P' Yoshida provided some insight into what a Final Fantasy 9 remake might entail, suggesting that the game's vast scope could make it challenging to 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 remarked. "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 the remake might follow the multi-part structure of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake, which is currently in the midst of a planned trilogy.

Earlier in 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 from Final Fantasy 9 as a mount in Final Fantasy 14 and a wind-up Princess Garnet minion. Garnet, also known as Dagger, is a main character in Final Fantasy 9. Pre-ordering Dawntrail also granted players a wind-up Zidane minion, with Zidane being the protagonist of Final Fantasy 9. During the PAX East event, where these extras were announced, Yoshi-P teased, "You may have noticed a lot of Final Fantasy 9 references here, but the reason is a secret," before humorously zipping his mouth shut.

Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail Final Fantasy 9 Bonuses

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Rumors about the Final Fantasy 9 remake have been circulating since a 2021 Nvidia leak revealed a list of upcoming titles, which included the unannounced game. Nvidia confirmed the leak's authenticity, though 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 by Square Enix. However, the Final Fantasy 9 remake and Final Fantasy Tactics, both mentioned in the leak, have yet to see the light of day. Just months before the Nvidia leak, in June 2021, reports surfaced about a Final Fantasy 9 animated series in development, though no further updates have emerged since then.