Over a year after rumors of a Final Fantasy 9 Remake started sprouting like Moogles out of nowhere, we're starting to get more about the still-unconfirmed remake of one of the most beloved entries to the storied Final Fantasy franchise.

Previously, we reported that the Final Fantasy 9 Remake might be exclusive to the PlayStation 5. Now, the industry insider, Jeff Grubb from Giant Bomb, has made a resounding declaration.

In a recent episode of the Game Mess Mornings podcast, Grubb said:

I heard very recently, once again, Final Fantasy 9 remake is real, that is real and happening.

And, just like that, we can hear the franchise's iconic level-up sound in our heads.

For the uninitiated, the only reason why people are talking about a Final Fantasy 9 Remake is because of the Nvidia GeForce Now Leak. Initially, many raised doubts about the presumably speculative nature of the games listed on its roster. But, then, we got Chrono Cross Remaster, Tactics Ogre Remaster, and Kingdom Hearts 4, all in the same year. From there, all everybody has been waiting on is the official confirmation of the remake.

With multiple different resources corroborating each other's information, it feels like it's only a matter of time before Square Enix confirms the project.

However, don't expect the Final Fantasy 9 Remake to be of the same scale as the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy. Unlike its golden goose, Final Fantasy 9 wasn't as big of a commercial success even though it's technically the most critically acclaimed in the franchise.

Grubb claims that the potential remake won't be as ambitious although we don't think fans of the original game would mind as long as it's better than the remaster from last decade.

Final Fantasy 9, which came out in the early 2000s, was largely seen as the "last" Final Fantasy game that carried the same tone and atmosphere as the original games. Since then, fans have been asking Square Enix to revisit a similar concept in a new entry. It's highly unlikely that this will happen anytime soon given the more mature tone of Final Fantasy 16. But, if the Final Fantasy 9 Remake sells well enough, Square Enix might have no choice but to listen.

Further adding to the excitement is what other sources are claiming that the Final Fantasy 9 Remake will mark the return of the series' beloved turn-based combat system. This could be seen as a bid to satiate fans who have felt alienated by the real-time combat featured in the latest outings.

With its pre-rendered backdrops and traditional turn-based combat system, upgrading Final Fantasy 9 for modern consoles and today's audiences without removing the core of what made it so beloved among fans will be a colossal undertaking.

In an ideal world, we'd see Square Enix release Final Fantasy 16 on June 22 followed by Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth in early 2024 with the rumored Final Fantasy 9 Remake coming in 2025. We're pretty sure Square can find a way to make the remaster of Final Fantasy Tactics work anywhere between those dates.

Of course, until we get official confirmation, everything about the Final Fantasy 9 Remake remains speculative at best.