Summary
Now thatOblivion Remasteredis out there, the worst-kept secret in games isSquare Enix’sFinal Fantasy 9remake. The studio still refuses to admit the game even exists, let alone announce a release date, yet the rumor mill is turning again as more updates have been made tothe official Final Fantasy 9 website.
Square launched the website earlier this year, ahead of one of the best-loved Final Fantasy games turning 25 this July. The site included a new range of Final Fantasy 9 merch, stocked up with plushes and Form-ism figures based on the designs of the game’s lead characters. Now, even more merch has been added to that collection.
Joining the merch already available on the site isa Garnet necklace, and maybe the best bit of Final Fantasy 9 merch ever released,a replica of Vivi’s hat. Not a statue or an ornament for display purposes, but a replica of the hat you can wear. The listing for the hat is already live on Square’s Japanese store and costs 17,600, which is roughly $121.
If you recoiled at the price of Vivi’s Hat, brace yourselves. It will likely cost even more if and when it finds its way onto Square’s US store.
Even More Fuel For The Rumor Mill
You Can Announce It Now Square, We All Know
Vivi has a lot of new merch as the mage is now a mug and a plush pouch too. Eight characters from Final Fantasy 9 have also beenturned into a set of acrylic standees. Similar tothe Final Fantasy 7 acrylic standee collection, the collectibles are sold in blind boxes, so you don’t know which characters you’re getting until you open the boxes up.
The other significant update to the Final Fantasy 9 website is its character profiles. Joining the news and item lineup tabs at the top of the home page is one dedicated to the game’s lead characters.Zidane, Vivi, Garnet, and Steiner all have profiles, and while they’re pretty short, you have to think Square dedicating so much attention to Final Fantasy 9 is indicative of an imminent announcement.
Final Fantasy 9 fans have been expecting a remake for years, but when confronted with evidence, Square continues to deny its existence. Yoshi-P claimedthe addition of FF9 elements to Final Fantasy 14 doesn’t mean a remake is coming, but shortly after suggested that if there were a remake,it would be a single title rather than a trilogy like Final Fantasy 7.
