Final Fantasy Tactics remaster doesn't include content from the strategy RPG's beloved PSP port War of the Lions: "The most appropriate path for us was to pay respect to the original game"

Final Fantasy Tactics' long-rumoured remaster was finally announced during a PlayStation State of Play event during Summer Game Fest 2025. Now, Square Enix has released an interview with the remaster's director Kazutoyo Maehiro that's revealed more details about the game, including why the team elected to remake the original PS1 classic version instead of the expanded PSP version, War of the Lions.

Maehiro explains: "I and other members of this development team were not directly involved in the War of the Lions, but I do believe that the content in that game did fully meet expectations for players at that time."

He adds, "during the creation of this game, we asked ourselves what our team – those who created the original Final Fantasy Tactics – could do to bring this game to a new generation of players. It was through considering this question that we came to the conclusion that the most appropriate path for us was to pay respect to the original game's experience and recreate that in the best form possible."

The interviewer then asks if some of the War of the Lions-exclusive content would be retrofitted into Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles, such as the inclusion of characters like Luso and Balthier (from Tactics A2 and Final Fantasy 12 respectively), or the Onion and Dark Knight jobs. However, while it was considered, the team decided against it, saying making major changes would "be a loss for not only fans of the original game, but also those new to the title."

Maehiro says that "our first step in reviving Final Fantasy Tactics in the present was to adhere to the original and put a spotlight on the original game’s characters and jobs, as well as the original gameplay experience."

One remnant of War of the Lions will be appearing in the game, as the original version of the game will also be included in The Ivalice Chronicles alongside the enhanced version, featuring the updated translation from the 2007 PSP release. I don't know if I'm just cynical after seeing Persona 3 Reload adding updated version content through DLC, but perhaps War of the Lions' added extras could appear later down the line as DLC.

Don't feel bad if you fell for Final Fantasy Tactics' viral "penalty for a crime" meme, the OG strategy RPG's director says "it certainly sounds like something I would have written."