Final Fantasy Tactics Director Addresses Remaster Rumors

The director of Final Fantasy Tactics has addressed rumors of a remake.

On X, a user asked Yasumi Matsuno about the possibility of adding “a progression system to the Ultimate spell” in the game. In response, Matsuno said that there are no plans to remaster Final Fantasy Tactics and that all request should be sent to Square Enix and not him.

Rumors of a Final Fantasy Tactics remake have been cropping up recently, and we even covered them in a recent article. Potential release dates for that game have varied from 2022 through 2023, with each rumored release date passing without the title materializing. It’s entirely possible that Matsuno may not know if a Final Fantasy Tactics remaster is happening, or that there’s a translation error with his comment. Still, this is the clearest indication we’ve had yet the game isn’t coming.

Originally released in 1997 for the PlayStation, Final Fantasy Tactics was a fresh take on the titular franchise and introduce the world of Ivalice, where several subsequent titles have taken place. The title, which is a tactical role-playing game rather than a JRPG, follows Ramza Beoulve as he navigates the betrayals and scheming that come up in The Lion War.

Final Fantasy Tactics is one of the franchise’s most beloved titles, and I spent dozens of hours with it back in my youth, and then again when I decided to replay it to see if it held up. It does. It really, really does. An enhanced port, Final Fantasy: Tactics: The War of the Lions, was released in 2007. There have also been several other titles in the Tactics franchise, though it’s mostly remained dormant.

Outside of Final Fantasy Tactics, Matsuno has worked on such titles as Vagrant Story and Final Fantasy XII. While as part of Algebra Factory he has worked with Square Enix, Matsuno departed the company several years ago, and it’s unclear what inside information he may have.