A new interview celebrating Final Fantasy 9 on the game’s 20th anniversary has given a huge insight into the games development as well as the intentions of the developers. While the game might not be getting a Final Fantasy 7 style remake, it looks like it may be in the running for some sort of expansion on the story.
This comes from an interview with RPG Site, where Toshiyuki Itahana gave his impressions on Final Fantasy 9, 20 years later. In this interview, Itahana spoke on a number of subjects involved in the game’s development, as well as a lingering desire to expand on the already lore filled title.
In the interview, Itahana remarks that even this long after the game was originally published, he still thinks about Final Fantasy 9 and the story that it told. Further, with titles in the series like Final Fantasy 7 Remake currently developing new stories within the game’s world, an addition on the series’ last hurrah on PlayStation isn’t out of the question. What this would look like, however, is still yet to be seen, and even the sentiment Itahana expressed implies that plans are not in the works for updates to the game.
"I would be delighted if, respecting the wishes of the original development team, there could one day be the opportunity to continue the story of Final Fantasy IX, which meant so much to all of us." – Toshiyuki Itahana
An expansion onto Final Fantasy 9 would likely be welcomed by the dedicated fan base for the game. This would be especially appreciated by fans looking for more answers into some of the mysteries surrounding the game, like the source of characters like Ozma and Necron. With so much of the game’s message about death and purpose explained so perfectly, some of the dangling threads that feed fan discussions could be a great place to start with future development.
It’s hard to say that Final Fantasy 9 isn’t one of the strongest in the series, acting as a return to form in a time when the series had been moving from medieval fantasy to science fiction. Additionally, with new fans coming to the game from re-releases through platforms like Steam and Xbox Game Pass, the base is larger than ever. So, with the support Square-Enix has already gotten and the success of seeing some of these past games brought into the modern era of gaming, it should be an easy decision to see where the developers can take the future of the game.
Source: RPG Site