Final Fantasy 9 may be on hold and it is unclear if Square Enix will revive it

Things aren't looking good for the rumored Final Fantasy 9 remake, as renowned leaker NateTheHate suggests that the project could be permanently put on hold.

“I assume the game is on ice and it's unknown if [Square Enix] going back to it or not,” they wrote on X, responding to a fan asking for updates on the project.

The remake was first mentioned four years ago, amid the infamous Nvidia GeForce Now breach. At the time, the tech conglomerate, desperate to contain one of the biggest game leaks, claimed that the list of games was only “speculative” and should not be taken as confirmation of their existence.

However, a fair number of them have come to fruition, namely Helldivers 2, the Resident Evil 4 remake, and the remastered GTA trilogy, as well as PC ports of PlayStation exclusives like God of War and Returnal.

'On Ice', 'In Trouble', 'Possibly Cancelled': What We Know About Rumored Final Fantasy 9 Remake

Looking specifically at Square Enix, these supposedly “speculative” games included not only the Final Fantasy 9 remake, but also the Final Fantasy Tactics remake that launched last month. It's clear that at some point Square Enix at least considered bringing back one of its most acclaimed classics, but it seems things fell apart behind the scenes for whatever reason.

Earlier this year, in July, NateTheHate claimed that a Final Fantasy 9 remake was still in development, but that it was “in trouble” and even “possibly canceled.” They emphasized that they only had “one source” for the cancellation request and needed to do some more digging, but months later they're saying again that the project may have been shelved and development may not continue. Hardly confidence-inspiring.

So it might be worth tempering expectations for the future. Many have taken the various anniversary events, merch drops and FF14 crossovers as evidence that Square Enix is teasing something to do with the Final Fantasy 9 remake, but if these leaks are anything to go by — even though reports from 2024 suggested the remake was “very far along” in development — it doesn't look like we'll be going back to Gaia anytime soon.