FF14 Event Casts Doubt on FF9 Remake

Final Fantasy XIV's director, Naoki Yoshida ("Yoshi-P"), recently addressed speculation linking the recent FFXIV collaboration event with a potential Final Fantasy IX remake. Let's delve into his statements.

Yoshi-P Debunks FF9 Remake Speculation

Yoshida clarified that the FFXIV collaboration's inclusion of FFIX elements was purely a tribute stemming from the game's "theme park" concept for the Final Fantasy franchise. The timing was coincidental and unrelated to any ongoing FFIX remake project.

"The original concept for Final Fantasy XIV is that it serves as a theme park for the Final Fantasy franchise," Yoshida explained to JPGames. "We included Final Fantasy IX because of that." He explicitly stated that the collaboration wasn't a marketing ploy preceding a remake announcement. "We never considered Final Fantasy IX in relation to any sort of Final Fantasy IX Remake – we never thought about it in that commercial sense," he emphasized.

While dismissing the remake connection, Yoshida expressed his team's deep admiration for FFIX. He acknowledged the game's immense scale, stating, "Final Fantasy IX has a huge volume; it's a big game. If we were to wait for any sort of Remake project, we'd just be waiting and waiting, thinking, ‘When would we be able to incorporate that essence of Final Fantasy IX and make our homage?’" This sentiment resonated with fans who enjoyed the FFIX Easter eggs in the FFXIV Dawntrail expansion.

Despite extinguishing immediate remake hopes, Yoshida concluded with a supportive message: "I think potentially if any team were to take on doing a remake for Final Fantasy IX," he chuckled, "I would wish them the best of luck."

In short, the rumors of a Final Fantasy IX remake remain unsubstantiated. Fans eagerly anticipating a remake will have to content themselves with the FFXIV references for now, or patiently await future announcements.