Square Enix Celebrates Final Fantasy 9 25th Anniversary With A New Video And a Fan Art Project — But All Everyone Wants Is A Remake Tease

Ready to feel old? Today marks the 25th(!) anniversary of Final Fantasy 9, and Square Enix is going all out by… uh, launching a fan art project.

If that falls a little short of your remake-shaped expectations, you're not alone. There was a lot of excitement about the much-discussed Final Fantasy 9 remake after Square Enix launched an official Final Fantasy 9 25th Anniversary website earlier this year, and while the publisher has at least acknowledged Final Fantasy 9's special day with an "anniversary special movie" and a request to collect special memories from fans, that's pretty much it.

"Celebrating 25 years of Final Fantasy 9 today," said a tweet posted to the game's official X/Twitter account yesterday, July 6. "When a theatre troupe set out for a royal kidnapping, Zidane and Princess Garnet are thrown into an emotional adventure that's never left the hearts of those who've played it. What does FFIX mean to you?"

Then, in a follow-up message posted today (July 7), Square Enix invited players aged 13 and up in selected countries to submit their FF9 fan art between now and the end of October. If selected, it will then be used on the Final Fantasy portal site, as well as official social network accounts.

Help us celebrate the 25th anniversary of Final Fantasy IX: https://t.co/D9bh3mIWB1

From now until the end of October, we're accepting fan submissions commemorating the game, and we'd love to see your creations!

Submit them via the link above and post with #FFIX25FanArt! pic.twitter.com/jsQWlhT0K5— FINAL FANTASY (@FinalFantasy) July 7, 2025

The X/Twitter account of passion project Final Fantasy 9: Memoria Project further stoked speculation earlier today by quote-tweeting Square's post, adding: "When are we going to tell them, Square Enix?"

When are we going to tell them, @SquareEnix? https://t.co/yLt8EQuWOD— Final Fantasy IX: Memoria Project (@MemoriaProject) July 7, 2025

It's a far cry from what some fans had hoped for, not least because last year, Final Fantasy 14 producer Naoki 'Yoshi-P' Yoshida talked a bit about what a Final Fantasy 9 remake might look like, warning it may not all fit in one game and so go in the direction of Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Earlier in 2024, Yoshi-P also announced Final Fantasy 9-themed extras for the Collector’s Edition and Digital Collector’s Edition of Final Fantasy 14 expansion Dawntrail.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, then, the game's social media and Reddit communities have been full of shocked players commenting on the lack of news. "This CANNOT be it bro," said one. "The remake. Announce the remake," while another said: "At least confirm or deny the remake rumors plz."

"The 25th anniversary is a big milestone and announcing it would be the best right now. My hopes are gone," added another disappointed fan. Interestingly, though, some fans have taken this lack of announcement as a sign there may still be news to come.

"October is the month, boys," said this excited player, while another added: "Cutoff date is the end of October because y'all will reveal the FF9 Remake in November, right?"

In a Reddit thread entitled, "You've reached a checkpoint. How are you doing given the so far disappointment of no announcement?", one fan replied: "At this point I've played myself more than I've played the actual game. Just call me Zorn & Thorn 'cause I'm a certified resident of Clown Town."

Even Domino's Pizza can't believe we haven't had an announcement yet…

Did @dominos just become the coolest pizza company? pic.twitter.com/VmK8KLTtj1— Wickid ???????? (@PirateHunterWik) July 6, 2025

Final Fantasy 9 remake rumors have swirled around Square Enix ever since the unannounced game emerged as part of a 2021 Nvidia leak of upcoming titles. The list, confirmed legit by Nvidia but potentially outdated, includes a number of Square Enix games the company has either announced or released since, such as the Chrono Cross remaster, Kingdom Hearts 4, the Final Fantasy Tactics remake, and of course the Final Fantasy 7 remake for PC. However, Final Fantasy 9 remake has yet to materialize. Just a few months before the Nvidia leak, in June 2021, a Final Fantasy 9 animated series was reported to be in development, although we haven’t heard anything about it in the years since, either.

Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.