Final Fantasy 9 celebrates 25th anniversary with a short video, not news of the long-awaited JRPG remake fans wanted: "Do the remake already or leave me alone, Square Enix"

Square Enix has released a special video to mark Final Fantasy 9's 25th anniversary, but dare I say, it's not quite the news the JRPG's fanbase is hoping for.

Alongside a special website, we've seen a handful of Final Fantasy 9-related posts and goodies over the past couple of weeks, including merchandise and a new book that reveals Vivi's name comes from a sillier place than we thought.

Today, though, we have a special video to mark the JRPG's 25th anniversary. It's warm, it's nostalgic, but news of a JRPG remake it is not, so fans are reacting with a collective 'is that it?'

FINAL FANTASY IX 25th Anniversary Special Movie - YouTube

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"Do the remake already or leave me alone, Square Enix," one slightly fed-up fan says, while another adds: "Stop setting yourself up for disappointment and you won’t be disappointed."

wait…is this all we’re getting? 😭 from r/FinalFantasy

October is the month, boys from r/FinalFantasy

C'mon, do something (not necessarily a remake) from r/FinalFantasy

Perhaps the most crushing thing to come from this is that the brand accounts are also getting in on the action. "Announce the remake already," says Domino's Pizza.

Comment from r/FinalFantasy

So, how have we got here? Square Enix hasn't announced plans for a Final Fantasy 9 remake, though rumors and reports certainly follow the developer around. A big part of that is a now-infamous Nvidia leak that looks more accurate by the day – not only did it tease a Final Fantasy 9 remake, but it also mentioned one for Final Fantasy Tactics, which was only recently proved correct. Alongside that, you get the odd rumor and report that make the news rounds now and again.

Just last year, in fact, Final Fantasy 14 and 16 producer Naoki 'Yoshi-P' Yoshida shot down rumors he was working on the mysterious project, raised doubts it could be contained to a single title, and said he'd rather remake Final Fantasy 3 anyway – a fair shout, but let's not get that rumor mill churning.

See you all again next year?

For a wondrous moment, 2 seconds of Bravely Default's trailer in the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct had the internet convinced the Final Fantasy 9 Remake was real.