Final Fantasy is a rather massive franchise at this point. Technically Final Fantasy VII is its own series of games: the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, and has about twelve games to its name. With such a massive series, it can be surprising what might be coming next. Final Fantasy IX, originally released in 2000 for PlayStation and receiving ports much later, has been rumored to be receiving remake. After the massive success that the first two entries of the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy have earned – part of that Compilation mentioned earlier – it isn’t shocking that other remakes might be on the horizon. Jumping to FFIX might raise some eyebrows though, especially since FFVIII has a similar vibe in terms of world to FFVII while FFIX’s fantasy setting is a major departure.
Final Fantasy VIII having a possible remake is definitely up for speculation. Many have wondered if it’s next on Square Enix’s list, or at least after FFVII Remake trilogy concludes. In an interview with IGN, Yoshinor Kitase has talked about what he might change with a new remake, specifically commenting on the combat system. However, the article containing that same interview commented on the likelihood of such a remake being remarkably low, for an early era Final Fantasy game, due to the sheer amount of time, energy, and resources needed to bring them into the modern day.
Despite this clear stance that other Final Fantasy remakes might be out of the realm of possibility, FFIX has been a topic that tends to crop up. With a new collaboration being discussed between FFXIV and FFIX, there have even been rumors if this will be a precursor to the remake’s announcement. However, in an interview with JP Games, Naoki Yoshida confirmed that is not the case, instead FFXIV simply serves as a “playground” for Final Fantasy as a whole. Final Fantasy IX’s inclusion was meant as a celebration of that concept of Final Fantasy XIV’s design.