Final Fantasy series developer Square Enix might be on the brink of releasing a brand new game in the form of Final Fantasy 16, but it’s also breathing new life into some of the best RPG games out there through remasters and remakes. One of those, the Final Fantasy 9 remake, is quite exciting – when you consider the fact that it was originally released in 2000. However, if you’re an Xbox player who thinks this is one of the best games of all time, there might be some bad news coming in the future.
In a thread discussing upcoming third-party Nintendo Switch games on forum site ResetEra, a known leaker has suggested that the Final Fantasy 9 remake “has Sony written all over it” while dismissing rumours that this game would be available on the handheld console. You can find a selection of the leaker’s comments yourself here – they are someone who has leaked a handful of things successfully in the past, so there’s some credibility to what they’re saying.
Adding that the release of this game is “at least two years away”, quite a few Final Fantasy fans seem to think that this suggests the Final Fantasy 9 remake will be a PlayStation console exclusive – and, there might be some truth to that. It is important to remember, though, that this announcement hasn’t been made yet; information that a remake is on the way comes from the infamous 2021 NVidia GeForce Now leak, of which a number of games have since been confirmed.
However, despite that, as you can see for yourself in this Reddit thread discussing the claims, it does sound a lot like someone reaching to conclusions. So, what are the chances that the Final Fantasy 9 remake will be a PlayStation exclusive?
Well, it’s more likely than you think – just take a look at Square Enix’s Final Fantasy 7 remake. The first part of this, released in 2020, was exclusive to Sony’s PlayStation 4 console. Then, the Intergrade iteration of this – an enhanced version with an additional side story – was released exclusively for the PS5 and PC. When the Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth release date rolls around, that’s only going to be available on PlayStation 5 consoles, too.
So, what about the Final Fantasy 9 remake? Well, the original game was released on the PlayStation and Xbox players didn’t get a look-in until 2019. It isn’t impossible to see this game release on Xbox consoles, but it does seem unlikely – and the leaker’s comments only seem to reinforce that sentiment.
However, it’s worth taking all of this with a grain of salt. A lot can happen in a couple of years and, until Square Enix confirms this, there’s no telling what will really happen. Although, Xbox fans, we wouldn’t keep your hopes up too highly.
The Final Fantasy 9 remake could be one of the best PS5 RPG games available when it launches, but you may have to look elsewhere if you want to play one of the best Xbox RPG games on your Xbox Series X in the future. When the Final Fantasy 16 release date arrives, you’re going to have to wait a little longer for an Xbox release – that’s a timed exclusive, too.