The anticipation surrounding a potential Final Fantasy 9 remake has surged following Square Enix's launch of an official 25th Anniversary website for the game. Launched in Japanese, the site commemorates the game's release on July 7, 2000, and hints at upcoming celebrations for the milestone.

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

The timing of the website's launch has not gone unnoticed, particularly with Nintendo set to host a Switch 2-focused Direct on April 2. Some enthusiasts speculate that this could be the perfect moment for Square Enix to announce the Final Fantasy 9 remake for the upcoming console. While the website mentions merchandise and collaborations, the phrase "various projects" has sparked intense discussion and hope among the fanbase.

Last year, Naoki 'Yoshi-P' Yoshida, the producer of Final Fantasy 14, offered insights into the challenges of remaking Final Fantasy 9. He noted the game's extensive content and questioned whether it could be condensed into a single title, suggesting a potential multi-part approach similar to the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy.

In early 2024, Yoshi-P announced Final Fantasy 9-themed bonuses for the Collector’s and Digital Collector’s Editions of the Final Fantasy 14 expansion, Dawntrail. These include the iconic Ark summon as a mount and a wind-up Princess Garnet minion. Pre-orders of Dawntrail also came with a wind-up Zidane minion. During PAX East, Yoshi-P playfully hinted at the abundance of Final Fantasy 9 references, saying, "You may have noticed a lot of Final Fantasy 9 references here, but the reason is a secret,” before miming zipping his lips shut.

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3 ImagesRumors of a Final Fantasy 9 remake have been circulating since the game appeared in a 2021 Nvidia leak of unannounced titles. While Nvidia confirmed the leak's authenticity, the list might be outdated. It included several Square Enix titles that have since been announced or released, such as the Chrono Cross remaster, Kingdom Hearts 4, and the PC version of Final Fantasy 7 Remake. However, the Final Fantasy 9 remake and Final Fantasy Tactics, also listed, have yet to see the light of day. Additionally, a Final Fantasy 9 animated series was reported to be in development in June 2021, though no further updates have surfaced since then.