Final Fantasy Staff Tease 'Big Announcement,' Provide 2023 Outlook

Square Enix is poised to make 2023 the year of Final Fantasy.

The company released a collection New Year wishes from the Final Fantasy staff with Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Producer Yoshinori Kitase hinting at a future “big announcement.” He said the announcement is unrelated to Final Fantasy VII and he “can’t say anything about it just yet.”

There is no definitive information regarding this teased announcement but there is speculation of that reveal being for a Final Fantasy IX remake.

This speculation comes on the heels of an Nvidia GeForce Now leak that included a remake alongside other games that have since come to pass. Both Chrono Cross The Radical Dreamers Edition and Kingdom Hearts 4 were part of the leak and turned out to be true.

**Image Credit:** Square Enix (via Screen Rant)

This teased announcement came alongside Final Fantasy XIV Producer and Director Naoki Yoshida saying this year will be the 10th anniversary of FFXIV and the company will celebrate.

Yoshida said the team will host live, in-person Final Fantasy Fan Festivals across the world with more details to follow later. Yoshida also said that Patch 6.3 is on the way.

Ichiro Hazama, producer of Theatrhythm Final Bar Line, also provided an update on the upcoming rhythm game he is helping produce.

Theatrhythm Final Bar Line is a sequel to the Nintendo 3DS title Theatrhythm Final Fantasy and will release on the Switch and PlayStation 4 on Feb. 16, 2023.

Hazama said the game will feature 502 songs, including downloadable content tracks, from across the Final Fantasy musical library. All tracks will be original recordings.

**Image Credit:** Square Enix (via Nintendo)

The final note came from Kei Hirono, Final Fantasy Brave Exvius series producer. Hirono said the free-to-play mobile game Final Fantasy Brave Exvius entered its eighth year while War of the Visions: Final Fantasy Brave Exvius entered its fourth.

Hirono said the team is looking forward to the 10th anniversary with “no intentions of slowing down.”

Both Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Final Fantasy XVI are slated for release in 2023, cementing anticipation from fans for the future of the franchise.

What are your thoughts on the teased “big announcement?” Is there a game from the Final Fantasy franchise you would like to see return via remake or remaster? Head over to our Discord channel to share your thoughts.

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