Final Fantasy IX is about to celebrate its 25th anniversary; the incredible turn-based RPG launched on the PS1 on 7th July 2000, and in 2025, Square Enix has been busy building up to the event with frequent new merch drops (much to the chagrin of this author and her wallet).
Over the past few days, the developer has upped the ante and has been sharing brand new artwork. We’re up to three already, and it’s causing fans online to go into overdrive.
Let’s start with the newest piece, which dropped overnight. This beautiful piece sees Zidane, Garnet, and the rest of the party overlooking the Iifa Tree, an important location in the game’s story. Drawn by the game’s character designer Toshiyuki Itahana, you can see the two planets in the sky and the Silver Dragon in the distance.
Oh, and we’d be remiss not to point out Vivi and Steiner at the bottom there. So. Cute.
Responses to the piece are… not-so-measured, as you’d expect. A Final Fantasy IX remake has been rumoured for an extremely long time, and what better time to reveal it than the game’s 25th anniversary? Especially when you’re giving it this much promotion.
So some fans suspect that these art pieces are actually concept art for that reimagining. Others just think it’s a tantalising tease for some kind of announcement. We’ve even got box art mock-ups. Whatever it is, Final Fantasy IX fans are going a little nuts.
There are two more stunning pieces to look at, anyway. First up is a calendar illustration featuring the main cast on the stage of the M.S. Prima Vista, the Tantalus’ theatre ship. This one’s done by Yuya Ishihata, who’s created a ton of beautiful artwork for the Final Fantasy X Magic the Gathering collab.
The usual suspects, including Beatrix, are all here, but if you look in the crowd, you can also see members of the Theatre Troupe, the group of thieves Zidane is part of, there; Marcus, Blank, Cinna, Ruby, Baku, and Benero and Zenero.
Last and by no means least is another piece from character designer Itahana. This one shows the game’s primary antagonist, Kuja, standing inside the Iifa Tree, next to his Silver Dragon.
It’s oddly peaceful as Kuja looks out towards the sunlight, either waiting for the party towards the end of Disc 2 or perhaps just there to plot.
Anyway, perhaps even more artwork will pop up over the next week. We should stress that there’s no guarantee Square Enix will announce anything when 7th July rolls around, so don’t be too disappointed if that happens. The Final Fantasy IX remake isn’t official, and if it’s real, it’ll come when it comes.
After all, it’s kind of fun just to see the game get a lot of love in the form of picture book prequels, vinyl releases, and the most adorable mug you’ve ever seen, right?
Do you think we’ll be hearing about the Final Fantasy IX remake soon? Cast Fira in the comments.
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