Final Fantasy IX Animated Series Is Still In Development, Release May Coincide With Remake

The animated series based on Square Enix’s 2000 role-playing game, Final Fantasy IX, is still in development, and its release may coincide with the game’s rumored remake.

Speaking during an interview with Animation Magazine (via), Cyber Group Studios president Karen K. Miller stated that Final Fantasy IX is one of those IPs that “tick a lot of those boxes and is what a lot of buyers are looking for”, implying that the animated series based on the game is still in development, and it may coincide with the release of the rumored remake.

The statement from the Cyber Group Studios president essentially clears the air as to whether Final Fantasy IX’s animated series was cancelled. The interview is from October, 2023, which is nearly 3 months ago.

It’s possible that Square Enix is planning to coincide the reveal of the animated series along with the announcement of the rumored Final Fantasy IX remake. Previously, it was reported that the remake is set to retain the traditional turn-based combat from the original game. The information was shared by Jeff Grubb, who is known for his sources within the video game industry.

Grubb said that he heard about the existence of the project very recently. On the subject of whether Final Fantasy IX remake would feature a shift towards a more real-time combat system much like in Final Fantasy VII Remake, he stated that the former would almost certainly not be as ambitious a remake as the latter. In terms of ambition, he categorized the project as being somewhere between Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII Reunion and Final Fantasy VII Remake. Additionally, former Reset Era member Im A Hero Too, who had previously shared details regarding several Japanese games that are currently in development, also mentioned that the Final Fantasy IX remake will feature traditional gameplay that is closer to the original.