Final Fantasy 9 remake rumors spread like wildfire at the beginning of 2023, when the series' 35th anniversary was set to feature an hour-and-a-half-long presentation full of juicy FF news. Well, the anniversary has now long been and gone, meaning these leaks were, unfortunately, a load of phooey.
Two years on, we're now approaching Final Fantasy 9's 25th anniversary. Will this be the year we finally get the rumored remake? Well, we're here to speculate on this exciting prospect; however, before we get into more potential phooey, maybe you should check out our Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion Switch review, Theatrhythm Final Bar Line Switch review, or read our list of the best Switch games for something new to play.
Final Fantasy 9 remake release date speculation
Unfortunately, Square Enix is yet to announce a Final Fantasy 9 remake, let alone a release date. The game's 25th anniversary celebrations are now heating up before we hit the big day in July, so we're hoping an announcement may arrive within the coming months to celebrate the milestone.
If you want to do some sleuthing yourself, feel free to pore over the official Final Fantasy IX anniversary website. It may not have any remake details right now, but you can find some cool new merch and details on upcoming collaborations.
Are there any Final Fantasy 9 remake leaks?
We mentioned the 4Chan leaks in the first paragraph, but since then, a few more rumors have come to light. In July 2023, Jeff Grubb, a reliable gaming source, let slip that a Final Fantasy 9 remake is in development. Then, in September of the same year, a leak via a Reddit post from ImAHeroToo came out that suggests the game would have a Summer 2024 release.
Now, 2024 is firmly in our rearview mirrors, so that's why we don't put too much salt into Reddit rumors. We haven't seen any recent leaks, but this obviously doesn't mean there's not something happening behind the scenes.
Will the Final Fantasy 9 remake come to Nintendo Switch?
As we mentioned above, Square Enix is yet to even announce a Final Fantasy 9 remake, let alone what platforms it may arrive on. However, I think the style of 9 fits perfectly on Nintendo Switch, as the characters and backgrounds don't need to be as realistic as Final Fantasy 7 Remake, which is coming to the Nintendo Switch 2.
Final Fantasy 9 remake gameplay
Here on Pocket Tactics, we hope any potential Final Fantasy 9 remake remains faithful to the original with turn-based combat and no deviations to the story. The original already has a chibi-esque style that has aged gracefully, so, in my eyes, a polish on all the rough edges, voice acting, and some QOL improvements are all a remake would need to succeed.
The Memoria Project is a non-playable Final Fantasy 9 remake project led by a team of devs and artists that reimagines the game with modern graphics. This impressive proof of concept is exactly how we want a remake to look, and hopefully, Square Enix takes note.
That's all we've got on a potential Final Fantasy 9 remake for now. If you want something else to play while you wait for it, make sure you check out our lists of the best Final Fantasy games, the best Switch RPGs, and the best mobile RPGs.