Sakaguchi posts old FFIX dev memos
See how the intro would have worked...
Mistwalker boss and former Squaresoft producer Hironobu Sakaguchi has been having a good old rummage around his hard disk and has dug up some of his old memos from the development of Final Fantasy IX.
Posted on the Mistwalker site in English, the Final Fantasy IX memo details how the intro sequence was intended to work – and fans of the game will note that the precise mixture of cinematics and gameplay sequences evolved considerably prior to release.
"This is an early stage of FFIX script planning. Since this is my memo-like ideas, I think it's okay to post them," Sakaguchi explained in a brief intro. "It's been 12 years."
The file is dated 17th July 1998, around two years before Final Fantasy IX was even released in Japan. It came to the west somewhat later, arriving in North America on 14th November 2000 and not launching in Europe until February 2001.
FFIX – one of our favourite instalments in the famous RPG series, actually – also made its way to PlayStation Network earlier this year. Look it up.