Square Enix is reportedly developing an animated series based on Final Fantasy 9, the beloved PSone entry in the series. According to a recent report from Kidscreen, the project is being developed in conjunction with French animation house Cyber Group Studios, which will also lead distribution, licensing and merchandising, and will begin production this year. Final Fantasy 9 (stylized as Final Fantasy IX) was released for the original PlayStation in 2000, and changed the series from its realistic (at the time) character models to a more cartoonish aesthetic. Therefore, the program would be aimed at children between the ages of eight and 13. The game centers on a thief, Zidane Tribal, who is hired to kidnap a princess with whom he eventually teams up to save his kingdom from the forces of evil. Since its release, it has sold over five million copies worldwide and has become one of the most popular entries in the series. The Final Fantasy franchise has already been adapted for television, but it's not directly based on a game's story, and this new series will appeal to die-hard fans and newcomers alike, according to Cyber Group Studios CEO, Pierre Sismann. The news has since been corroborated by Square Enix's social media manager Sunil Godhania in a recent tweet, so we're sure it's real.
Huuuuuge news. The Final Fantasy IX animated series is on the way. https://t.co/7l8VeRmgGT June 21, 2021 See More As for what else we can infer from the report, the number and duration of the episodes have yet to be finalized, and it is assumed that Cyber Group Studios will is preparing to take the program to the stations. The Parisian studio is a developer and distributor of children's television, and already has experience adapting video games to animated series thanks to its work on Mini Ninjas (you get a gold star if you remember this game). He has also produced television adaptations of Tom Sawyer and Zorro.