2023 is set to be a huge year for Square Enix’sFinal Fantasyseries with the long-anticipated release ofFinal Fantasy 16, upcoming titles like the console ports of theFinal Fantasy Pixel Remasterseries andTheatrhythm: Final Bar Line, and even the possible release ofFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Despite all the confirmed projects Square Enix has to talk about regarding the series in 2023, just recently the publisher teased that there is onebigFinal Fantasyannouncementyet to come that is disconnected from any of the previously announced titles.
While there are plenty of possibilities for what this could be, a major video game industry leak from 2021 has given a major indication of some belovedFinal Fantasytitles that could be making a comeback very soon. So far, multiple Square Enix titles that appeared in Nvidia’s GeForce Now leak have already been confirmed, and with an upcoming animated series also on the way,Final Fantasy 9’s rumored remake could be announced in 2023.
RELATED:Final Fantasy 16 Gets Awesome Pixel Promo Art
Why Kingdom Hearts 4 Makes a Final Fantasy 9 Remake Very Likely
In September 2021, one of the biggest video game leaks in the industry’s history occurred thanks to Nvidia’s GeForce Now service. The leak resulted in tons of major titles leaking ahead of their announcement, and the leak was very quickly verified by titles announced in the following months. One publisher with multiple titles featured as part of the leak was Square Enix, which soon confirmed the titles featured in the leak includingFinal Fantasy 7 Remake Intergradefor PC,Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition,Tactics Ogre: Reborn, andKingdom Hearts 4. The announcement ofKingdom Hearts 4made the Nvidia leak more credibleif anything.
One suspicious title that appeared on the Nvidia GeForce leak wasFinal Fantasy 9’s remake.Final Fantasy 9is one of the most beloved mainlineFinal Fantasytitles, however it’s a title Square Enix has already remastered and ported to modern platforms such as PS4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PC, meaning this alleged remake would likely be a bigger effort than the recent Final Fantasy 8 remaster. As such, seeing whatFinal Fantasy 9looks like with modern graphicswould be amazing.
Strangely, Square Enix is already revivingFinal Fantasy 9in a big way, lending more credibility to this rumored remake. In 2021, Square Enix announced a partnership with French animation studio Cyber Group Studios toadaptFinal Fantasy 9into an animated seriesaimed towards children and long-timeFinal Fantasy 9fans.
Why Final Fantasy 9 Remake Could Be Announced In 2023
WhileFinal Fantasy 9isn’t celebrating any specifically noteworthy anniversaries in 2023, the year is host to a plethora of other related releases building off of theFinal Fantasy 35th Anniversaryproject, which began last year with the release ofStranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin.Final Fantasy 9’s remakealong withFinal Fantasy Tactics Remastered, which was also part of the Nvidia leak, could both be the final reveals in this long series ofFinal Fantasyproject reveals.
Given thatFinal Fantasy 7’s remake project has spun off into its own trilogy of what some fans have considered sequels to the originalCompilation of Final Fantasy 7,aFinal Fantasy 9remake is more likelyto take a smaller-scale approach to rebuild the classic JRPG. This would also make it a more convenient release to tie into the upcoming animated series, especially if the title was remade in the style of some of Square Enix’s recent smaller-scale projects likeTrials of ManaandValkyrie Elysium.
While many fans would likely prefer to seeFinal Fantasy 9receive a bigger budget remake, given thatFinal Fantasy 7’s remakehas been split into three parts, a smaller scope could mean that there is more attention to remaking all ofFinal Fantasy 9’s story in one satisfying modern JRPG. This also means the title could be announced relatively close to release, like how Square Enix recently announcedLive A LiveandOctopath Traveler 2in Nintendo Directs five months ahead of their respective releases. Either way, with its inclusion in the Nvidia leaks and the impending release of its animated series adaptation, it seems like the rumoredFinal Fantasy 9remake is gearing up for a 2023 reveal.
Final Fantasy 9is available now for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
