Wark Digest #160 - What's in a Leak?
Or, "Even A Broken Clock Is Right Twice A Day"
Welcome back to the Wark Digest, your weekly newsletter of new developments and historical insights from the Final Fantasy universe. I’m Chris, aka Hoogathy, and this week we’re rolling the dice with Final Fantasy XIV’s new tabletop game—and also, it’s time to put the tiger on the table and yell at it, as we’re finally looking into recent allegations of some potential remasters.
This week’s newsletter is 2137 words, a 10-minute read.
What’s In A Leak?
We’ve been dipping and dodging around a couple of recent rumours, waiting for more substantial evidence, but the issue is becoming something of an elephant in the room, so… let’s take a look at all of this buzz about remasters and/or remakes of a couple beloved Final Fantasy games from the PS1 era.
What’s going on?
There’s been talk about potential revivals of Final Fantasy IX and Final Fantasy Tactics ever since the infamous Nvidia leak back in September 2021 (which we discussed way, way back in issue #14)
These possible titles get name-dropped literally every time there’s a big event like Summer Game Fest, the Game Awards, Tokyo Game Show, or even individual showcases like Nintendo Directs or State of Plays
These hypothetical remasters are becoming Square Enix’s Silksong (except Silksong has been formally announced by its studio)
All of this came to a head once again within the last month when a supposed “leaker” named Midori claimed that a Final Fantasy IX remake was far into development, and didn’t fall victim to the recent round of content cuts; they also mentioned a Final Fantasy Tactics remaster
They then went so far as to claim it would be revealed as a multiplatform title at Xbox’s big Summer Game Fest showcase this past weekend, despite previously warning fans to keep their expectations low for official news in June
You may have noticed this… didn’t actually come to pass
Over the past few days, a “scandal” (by social media terms) went down regarding Midori’s true identity, calling into question the validity of their claims and morals
Then, in response to a disappointed fan’s laments, Jason Schreier of Bloomberg claimed “the Final Fantasy Tactics remaster is real and happening,” fanning the flames before they could fully wink out
What we thought:
It’s understandable that people desire updates to FFIX and FFT; I, for one, would be first in line for either of them
Between the “Midori” persona and their previous aliases, this individual’s track record is mixed at best; they seemed to have some valid insider info on Sega/Atlus, but there are plenty of accusations about some toxic behaviour from both this person and others involved with them in this scene
Probably better for everyone if we douse their “information” with a full shaker of salt and move on with our lives
Square Enix’s decision to pivot to more multiplatform titles was very recent in the grand scale of game development, so if these remasters weren’t already in development for Xbox, it would’ve been a Hail Mary play to get them into the Xbox showcase in time—the math on that claim never added up to me
Schreier is a much more reputable individual in games media, as a journalist working for an institution like Bloomberg instead of a random, faceless Twitter user chasing clout, though we have nothing to work with beyond his word
Many fans would rather just see a proper, official announcement than a vague statement dropped on a message board
We shouldn’t forget that all of this stemmed from the Nvidia leak, which contained some far-fetched PC titles which still haven’t seen the light of day:
To follow up on the FF, SE, and other standout titles I mentioned in #14:
FF Tactics Remaster: not officially announced
FFVII Remake: available on PC
FFIX Remake: not officially announced
FFXVI: in development for PC
Kingsglaive: still just a movie
FF Origin: available on PC
"Dot Remasters" for I-IV: had already been confirmed for PC at that time
Kingdom Hearts IV: in development, but probably not immediately for PC
Shin Megami Tensei V: coincidentally, an expanded edition, Vengeance, launched on all platforms today
Bayonetta 3 and New Super Mario Bros: Bayonetta is absent, and Mario still has a snowball’s chance in hell of popping up
It’s most feasible the remaining items were random titles used as placeholders in the leaked database; though it’s possible some of these things existed behind closed doors at the time, or started development after the leak
Here’s the thing: anyone can say “Square Enix will remake [insert beloved game]” and if they keep saying that, chances are, they’ll eventually be proven right
The grim reality is that unfounded “leaks” and “rumours” can be damaging to the thing they’re trying to hype up
In this day and age, it’s easy for people to latch onto the briefest summary of a news story and miss all the context, or take speculation as fact, leading to massive expectations that can’t realistically be realized
It’s frustrating when we suspect a studio is making something cool but not sharing it, but it’s for the best; across the industry studios have gotten better at keeping things tight to the chest until the time is right (case in point: it’s now been six years since The Elder Scrolls 6 was announced)
If nothing else, this ongoing saga should be abundant proof to Square Enix that they should be investing in and carefully developing these hotly-desired projects, as there’s plenty of demand for them
What’s next? It’s a long shot, but we know Nintendo has a Direct presentation coming sometime before the end of the month. Both FFIX and FFT would be a great fit for the Switch. But, let’s not start putting money on it or getting party banners printed just yet.
Thundaga Round!
Visions of Mana will now officially launch on August 29th, and it will have a connection to Final Fantasy—the Digital Deluxe Edition includes a “Mana Superstars” outfit set, giving protagonist Val a costume based on the protagonist of Final Fantasy Adventure/Seiken Densetsu, Sumo
It will also include a pack of background music from the series’ history, including 4 tracks from Final Fantasy Adventure
In other adjacent Square Enix releases, the entire Kingdom Hearts series launched on Steam yesterday; they’re marking the occasion with a 31% discount, and… ohhhh, I see what they did there
Clive Rosfield has arrived in Final Fantasy Record Keeper, for those still playing the Japanese version; his exclusive gear includes his iconic outfit, and the swords Defender, Runeblade, and Enhance Sword (though not Invictus?); and surprise, his Soul Breaks are heavily fire-based, with many players reporting he’s overpowered
Hiroki Fujimoto, producer of Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, shared an earnest message to fans: while they have received lots of feedback on the current state of the game, “our long run has brought many changes to our team’s environment, resulting in a gradual decline of resources for development. We are aware that currently we are not delivering the same level of enjoyment as we did before”
The game’s 8th anniversary is fast approaching at the end of this month, and Fujimoto assured fans that the staff is doing their best to provide a worthy celebration, including a potentially surprising new unit?
Though this isn’t a death knell yet, this isn’t exactly encouraging news, so fans should work on their in-game bucket lists while they can
Yoshinori Kitase and Naoki Hamaguchi are speaking at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City tonight, in a panel titled “From Fire to Firaga: Remaking Final Fantasy VII”
Review: Final Fantasy XIV TTRPG Starter Set
Like chocolate and peanut butter, the worlds of Final Fantasy and tabletop RPGs have finally, officially collided. I recently play-tested the Final Fantasy XIV Tabletop RPG’s Starter Set, and I have some insight that might help you decide if this is worth rallying a Light Party of friends for…
What is it?
The FFXIV TTRPG Starter Set has everything players need to dive right into the game and start playing:
A Player Book, presenting basic rules
A Gamemaster Book, for the player who will assume the mantle of GM, offering more in-depth rulings and 3 short premade adventures
Premade character sheets for four classes, with 3 different versions of each, and strategy/rule cheat sheets
Maps for the included adventures
16 dice total (a set of d20 and d6s for each player, colour-coded to their roles)
Markers and tokens representing characters, monsters, the AoE zones of attacks, and other miscellany
The FFXIV TTRPG system itself functions a lot like the modern iteration of Dungeons & Dragons with some unique changes that make it feel like FFXIV
This product is geared for absolute beginners to tabletop RPGs
FFXIV players will eventually recognize how the premade adventures are tied directly to events in A Realm Reborn
What we thought:
For perspective, I played the game with the 3 other friends who make up my ongoing D&D group, of which I’m the biggest FF fan by a vast margin
One used to play the PS1 games; the second dabbles with them when they’re on Game Pass and tried FFXIV very briefly; and the third has no FF knowledge
However we’ve been playing D&D together since it’s Fifth Edition began ten years ago, and a handful of other RPG systems as well
As D&D vets, the premade adventures were quite barebones, though this is great for people who are using this as their first TTRPG experience
Conversely, as complete newcomers to the world of FFXIV, my friends had no frame of reference for any of the lore, geography, terms, etc; the rulebooks, as written, assume a certain amount of foreknowledge, and GMs should prepare players accordingly
It was actually impressive how the tabletop game reflects the video game, down to the way roles work in battle… though this comes with its own baggage
We found the combat could feel a little too prescribed, focusing on your role’s responsibilities instead of finding interesting ways to deal with situations like in D&D—the Tank can’t really get creative if they need to hold the line
In a way, I could also see how it could be unappealing to do the same kind of gameplay manually, if you’ve played the MMO to death already
For an introductory product, the value is great and the approach is solid; newcomers should be able to pick up the game in no time
Again, the D&D player in me wants to know the bigger picture on many things:
What classes will be in the upcoming rulebooks?
What does character creation look like? How much choice do players have in setting up their character’s abilities and such?
How does character progression work? The Starter Set books claim FFXIV TTRPG uses a system reminiscent of FFXIV’s item sync to adjust characters’ stats to suit the level of the adventure and their current equipment, but there’s no indication of how this is calculated yet
The system itself isn’t exactly the “Final Fantasy D&D” experience many fans have been looking for, but it’s remarkably novel in itself
What’s next? The first run of this box set is sold out, but a second wave will ship in September—preorders are open now. Meanwhile, my burning rule questions will have to wait until the Standard Rulebook and Scenario & Gamemaster Guide books drop at some unspecified point “soon.” (Read my full thoughts at CGMagazine!)
Around the Union
Pop quiz time—this week we examined “7 Final Fantasy Sequels You Never Knew Existed!” How many of these obscure gems did you know about before this video? (Of course, if you picked up our first book The Legacy of the Crystal, you probably know most of these, if not all…!)
If that last comment felt cheap, well, I’ve been studying under the best—we also compiled a list of the “7 Cheapest Final Fantasy Bosses Who Didn’t Play By the Rules!” Some of these dastardly foes have been the bane of many a controller over the years. Let us know in the comments which of these cheap bosses was the easiest and the hardest for you!
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Until next time, kupo!
I have to say that I've been on a lot of YouTube channels' comments sections over the last few months trying to tell people that the FFIX Remake is not happening. From the beginning, it didn't make a lot of sense to start with given the "too good to be true" nature of it, knowing that we still had many years before the full FFVII Remake Series would be complete, and wondering who exactly would be working on it. Also, years have gone by without any evidence to back it up.
It's not the first time that reliable sources had announced things that came to pass, mixed with other things that had no evidence of ever existing. It's not unusual for internet personalities to lie about something in order to try to churn up fan-demand to pressure creators. The FFVII Remake is an example where SE more or less caved into fan-demand ever since that demo came out ages ago. Finally, I believe I recall someone associated with SE made a slip about a FFXII Remake at one point, though he retracted his statement and it was ultimately revealed to be The Zodiac Age, which was a remaster, not a remake, and I was anticipating the original FFIX leak to be along the same lines.
Something that a lot of people don't understand or talk about is that the English language and Japanese language are extremely difficult to properly translate between; Japanese is the single most difficult language for English speaking people to learn. So when we see a "leak" about a "Remake", we should be factoring language barriers into the equation. "Remake" might simply mean a "port"!
Now not to rain on anyone's parade, but unfortunately, I think the low sales of FFVII Rebirth have all but closed the doors on future Remakes - at least in regards to projects on the same scale as the FFVII Remake Trilogy.