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The original release for Final Fantasy IX is nearing its 25th anniversary, with the game’s debut on Japanese PSX on July 7, 2000. In honor of that anniversary coming up, over the weekend Square Enix published a new anniversary-themed website on the Japanese Final Fantasy domain, featuring new art.

The site is primarily a placeholder at the moment, with more details around celebrations of the anniversary coming soon, but a few things were announced at launch, most of them merch:

• A new vinyl album, to be released on July 9
• A picture book featuring a new story of Vivi from before the events of the game, releasing July 2
• Collectibles including new figures of Zidane and Garnet, a pendant based on Garnet’s Alexandrian necklace, and a line of plush characters, all available for preorder now
• Themed eyeglasses and capsule toys in collaboration with Japanese eyewear brand Zoff

The website also mentions a “Commemorative Lottery,” but has no details as to what exactly that might mean yet.

Of course, all of these things are Japan-specific, though it may turn out that some of the physical items may be shippable elsewhere or may also be sold out of other regions in the future. Who knows, maybe the rumored remake of Final Fantasy IX might be a future announcement; I’d pick that up in a heartbeat.

Source: Final Fantasy IX 25th Anniversary Special Page

A semi-surprise announcement from Square Enix during this morning’s Switch 1 Nintendo Direct was a remaster of SaGa Frontier 2. Originally released for the original PlayStation, SaGa Frontier 2 was the eighth SaGa game and, obviously, second in the Frontier sub-series on PlayStation. SaGa Frontier 2 is probably lesser-known, having released late in the PlayStation’s lifecycle, just a few months before the PlayStation 2.



The new version, despite being announced in the Nintendo Direct, is being released today for pretty much every available gaming device under the sun: Switch, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, Steam, iOS, and Android (sorry, Xboxers).

It doesn’t appear that there’s been a major graphical overhaul, though the graphics have been made to support HD and widescreen displays. However, there have been additions to the plot to “uncover truths from the original,” and new QoL updates, New Game +, minigame content and post-game challenge battles added as well.

Strangely, the store listings for the game have not been published yet for Nintendo, Steam, or iOS as I write this, so I’m not sure when exactly the game is releasing or what the price point will be. SaGa Frontier Remaster is currently listed at $24.99.

Source: Gematsu

It's been quite a while since we did a concert update newspost, so some shows have definitely come and gone already (like the one I just went to, actually...). So, let's do a quick new list just because every Final Fantasy concert series is enjoyable, especially if you've never gotten to attend one.

For the uninitiated, "Distant Worlds" is the Final Fantasy touring concert series playing music from across the entire spectrum of the mainline Final Fantasy games, and has been going for many years. The seventh album release from the series recently dropped as well. Upcoming concerts include:

• July 11: Vancouver, BC
• September 13: Milwaukee, WI
• September 20: Calgary, AB
• September 27/28: Cincinnati, OH
• October 4: Raleigh, NC
• October 11: Tampa, FL
• November 1: Sacramento, CA
• November 15: Minneapolis, MN
• November 18/19: Salt Lake City, UT
• December 6: Dallas, TX
• January 2/3 2026: Baltimore, MD
• January 30/31: Toronto, ON

"A New World" is the smaller chamber orchestra performance; there are typically fewer of these shows and they play smaller venues. There are only four of those shows upcoming right now, going into this summer - two shows on April 19 in Seattle, and single shows on May 25 and July 12 in Atlanta and Hartford, CT respectively.

Many of the shows are on sale now, and others will be on sale soon. Check the source links below to find out more about shows near you.

Source: Distant Worlds, A New World