Square Enix is in a tough spot right now, and we mean that honestly. You see, despite being one of the more beloved publishers in the gaming space, many recent titles they’ve had haven’t done well. Plus, they, too, have fallen victim to the live-service curse, where it’s tried to release a bunch of mobile titles with gacha elements or create titles centered around microtransactions, and both have blown up in its face. Ironically, the best-selling game from the company in 2024 appears to have been an HD-2D remake it did and not the Final Fantasy remake that many were hyped about. Go figure.
Speaking of that franchise, there have been plenty of rumors about the RPG series and what might be released next within it. For the “Remake Saga,” we know the third and final entry is in development. So, Square Enix has some time to release other things, but what?
Well, according to a new report from Ganker, Final Fantasy XV is set to get the remaster treatment. That’s an interesting thing for many reasons, not the least of which is that it’s literally the previous mainline title in the franchise, so it’s not exactly old. In fact, it was released in 2016, so it’s not even a decade old!
However, the reason for a remaster might do with the various complaints about the game. Despite it being a hit financially, with the title selling over 10 million units in its lifetime, it was incredibly divisive amongst fans. On the one hand, it was one that had great characters via Noctis and his crew, and certain other characters “captured the hearts” of certain people due to their “aesthetics.”
However, between the convoluted and broken narrative, alongside the many bugs the game had, the title felt very “incomplete,” even with the DLC “helping” things. Thus, a remaster could remedy various issues and make it “worthwhile.”
Then, there’s a tweet by Nate The Hate, a popular insider, who claims that Final Fantasy IX is getting the remake treatment and that it won’t release until 2026.
There’s plenty to process with that one, including the fact that this game has been rumored for a remake for a long time, so this is building up the anticipation for the potential announcement. The game is one of the more “underappreciated titles” in the franchise, which might be why gamers want it to come back in remake form.
Square Enix is likely trying to release more titles to generate more hits and finally make a profit again.
