The Final Fantasy series has been a mainstay in the JRPG genre since the beginning. Fans of the series all have their favourite entries, and one that is often brought up is Final Fantasy IX. Rumors about a Final Fantasy IX remake have been floating around, but could there now be a chance that a character designer from the original game has returned to work on this project?
Toshiyuki Itahana was the original character designer on Final Fantasy IX. In a recent interview with YouTuber Paolo fromTOKYO, Itahana was asked about his illustration work for games. During this interview, Itahana mentioned that he is currently working on some character illustrations for a game that is in development and cannot be revealed. Considering Itahana’s role on the original Final Fantasy IX, and the potential leaks surrounding a remake, some fans believe that he could be working on this hypothetical project.
The leak in question was the infamous NVIDIA GeForce leak that occurred last year. While it is best to take any video game leaks with a grain of salt, the NVIDIA leak has been surprisingly accurate thus far. Among them were seemingly unlikely titles like Kingdom Hearts IV.
This isn’t the first time that Itahana has spoken about his desire to continue working on Final Fantasy IX. While speaking to RPG Site a few years ago, Itahana claimed that he would be “delighted” at the opportunity “to continue the story of Final Fantasy IX.”
Square Enix is doing what it can to increase the popularity of the Final Fantasy series in numerous ways. Remakes and remasters of older titles are one of these methods, but the company has also confirmed that a Final Fantasy IX animated series is coming. If Square Enix wants to increase the excitement around a potential remake, then an animated series would be the right way to do so.
The Final Fantasy series is showing no signs of slowing down. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion will be released on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch on December 13. It is a remake of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, which itself is a prequel to the classic Final Fantasy VII.
Beyond this, Final Fantasy XVI looks promising and is currently slated to be released on PlayStation 5 in the summer of 2023. Finally, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the second title in the Final Fantasy VII remake series, and it is currently set to be released next winter.
