a statement that risks disappointing many players

Discovered in the 2021 Nvidia leak listing, FF9 Remake has still not been made official by Square Enix. A ghost project or a real one? Producer Naoki Yoshida has spoken again.

What future for Square Enix’s JRPG saga after the PC port of Final Fantasy 16? Some of the teams in place are on FF7 Remake 3. The last big piece of the trilogy which should not be available for several years. But for four years, longtime fans have been waiting for the return of FF9. Because yes, according to rumors and the famous leak from Nvidia, this project does exist.

Naoki Yoshida still answers questions about FF9 Remake

It’s been four years since we heard about FF9 Remakewithout the Japanese publisher having announced anything. Last June around the time of the E3 fire, Naoki Yoshida even explained himself on this and indicated that he was not working on this hypothetical new version. A very insistent rumor which was revived due to Final Fantasy 9 content in FF14 Dawntrail. It was enough for some Internet users to see it as a blatant confirmation of FF9 Remake.

During an interview with JP Games, Naoki Yoshida made a statement that may still disappoint. “The original concept for Final Fantasy 14 was to serve as a theme park for the franchise. And that’s why we wanted to integrate FF9. We never envisioned this collaboration in relation to any Final Fantasy 9 remake. Sure, it might make sense to think of it that way, but that was never our intention.” he explains.

“ If we had to wait for any kind of remake project, we’d just be waiting and thinking, “When are we going to be able to incorporate the essence of FF9 and pay homage to it?” » So I think if a team were to take on a remake of Final Fantasy IX, I would wish them luck (laughs) » he adds.

Naoki Yoshida therefore still denies his participation in a possible FF9 Remake, or even the existence of the project. A denial to better surprise? Mystery. However, the producer said that if he had to deal with such a thing, he would keep the turn-based combat, which is also suggested by a new leak. On the other hand, the structure would possibly be different with a multi-part title like FF7 Remake. “ I know there are requests for FF9. When you think about it, it’s a game with enormous content. And I wonder if it’s possible to fit all of this into one game. It’s a difficult question, really difficult ».

Source: Video Games, JP Games.