Bad news for gamers waiting for Remakes of Final Fantasy 6, FF8, or FF9!
There have been a lot of rumours floating around about an anniversary remake for Final Fantasy 9, and a lot of hope for an eventual do-over of my dearest FF8. The two games seemed to be the next logical progression after the success of the Final Fantasy 7 remake, and FF6 being a classic had a lot of fans getting hyped up that what if they would do a great remake for all the fans. But unfortunately, that’s not what’s written in the cards for Square Enix.
Naoki Yoshida (also known as Yoshi-P) of Square Enix made it clear that if they were to release Final Fantasy 6, Final Fantasy 8, or Final Fantasy 9, they would have to give it a more thorough treatment than allowed by FF7. In Yoshida’s opinion, if they were to be released in a format close to the FF7 remake trilogy, they’d have to be in 4 or even 5 instalments because they are simply too big.
Why a Final Fantasy VIII Remake is Unlikely
The games are vast, have a bunch of places to also develop, expand and grow in and in the case of the beloved Final Fantasy 8 a lot of questions have been asked about the abrupt pace of the ending, how everything comes together and if once a remake would be done, it was also hinted and hoped by fans that they would give much more context than the end we saw in the original, expanding and leaving no stones unturned with how FF7 was lovingly stitched up and revamped with exploring the story well enough for new timers and beloved old fans.
If they were to be released in a format close to the FF7 remake trilogy, they’d have to be in 4 or even 5 instalments
Yoshida explained his position: “Of course I understand the feelings of the players, but you gotta think about it. Look at Final Fantasy VI, it’s such an incredibly huge game. The scale is just immense.” And that’s the issue. All these FF entries have their own huge worlds, their own lore, their own maps that go way beyond and pushed the boundaries of video games back in their time, which will still want to push it beyond technology and use it to its advantage now.
The director says that “the same applies for other titles like Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy IX.” FF8 would surely be a dream come true, but at the same time the games are also some of the best games ever created with their storytelling, even if the gameplay hasn’t aged as well and the Guardian Force might feel a bit too janky now in terms of control.
While FF9 is very popular, the format it was given was really well received by players, even if certain storylines could’ve aged better, which would need some tweaking for the current age; but considering how well SE has been addressing things now, it wouldn’t be a problem, and the players would love to see it.
