After three years, an extremely dedicated group of Final Fantasy IX fans have shared a hands-on gameplay demo, showcasing their own take on what a remake of the game would look like.
We’re thrilled to present the gameplay demo for our Final Fantasy IX Remake project, crafted with love and passion by over 50 professional videogame developers and artists over the span of three years.
We hope you enjoy the ride. pic.twitter.com/hUReF7ZuPR
— Final Fantasy IX: Memoria Project (@MemoriaProject) June 7, 2023
The latest update from the project was a 25-minute video of a full gameplay demo. Unfortunately, however, this is the furthest this remake will go and you’ll probably never be able to play it, as the group behind the project has said in the past that it has no intentions to publicly release this unless they receive consent from Square Enix. As they put it on their website:
“Memoria Project is a proof of concept and is not meant to be viewed as a playable product. We will never do anything to infringe upon Square Enix’s copyright.”
Still, at least we get to appreciate the gorgeous, high-fidelity graphics in the demo.
The Final Fantasy IX: Memoria Project started up back in 2021, and the goal of this passion project was to “create a complete remake of the opening Alexandria portion of the game as a proof of concept.” The team comprises over 50 artists, developers, fans, and enthusiasts that enjoyed the ninth main entry in the Final Fantasy series.
The official website’s FAQ page notes that some “professionals from renowned companies” from several AAA studios, including Riot Games and Sucker Punch Productions.
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.