5 Final Fantasy Games We Almost Got (And Why They Were Never Made)

Final Fantasy is one of the biggest franchises in the RPG space, with plenty of major releases over the years that have dominated the industry. Published by Square Enix, the franchise has been a consistent prescene for nearly forty years, with over a hundred games released across the mainline series, spin-offs, and remakes. However, that doesn’t mean every game considered by the publisher has made it to release.

Some remakes have been considered but kept from full development because of hardware issues. In other cases, prospective sequels were put on the back burner to make room for other, higher-priority releases. In one paritcuarly infamous example, a potential sequel to a beloved entry in the series fell apart because of disagreements between the publisher and an outside developer. For whatever reason, these Final Fantasy games were at least in some stage of development before being shelved — although some still have hope that development might resume someday down the line.

Final Fantasy VI Remake

Final Fantasy VI was the last mainline entry in the series released for a Nintendo console, launching on the Super Nintendo in 1994. Considered a high-mark of the franchise’s 2D era before Final Fantasy VII brought the series into a 3D space, the success of Final Fantasy VI eventually led to re-releases on the PlayStation, Game Boy Advance, and mobile platforms.

While there have been remasters of the game, Square Enix also confirmed that a full remake was considered for the Nintendo DS. However, it was ultimately not meant to be, as Square Enix producer Shinji Hashimoto revealed in 2010 that technical issues had prevented the game from being integrated into the DS library. While Square Enix has repeatedly expressed interest in a remake, there’s been no momentum regarding a potential new version of the title.

Final Fantasy X-3

Final Fantasy X was a big success for Square Enix when it launched on the PS2, leading to the quick development of a direct sequel in the form of Final Fantasy X-2. The storyline was continued outside of games in tie-in novels and audio dramas, but no formal sequel for the third entry has ever been confirmed or moved into active development. However, it seems that at some point the game was in development, as Square Enix at least figured out what the narrative direction of the game would be. In 2021, game director Tetsuya Nomura revealed that Square Enix had actually crafted an intended story for a prospective Final Fantasy X-3, carrying on the story of Tidus and Yuna.

However, Nomura also told the gaming magazine Famitsu that any potential movement on the game wouldn’t move forward until after the conclusion of the Final Fantasy VII remake trilogy. With the third entry in the X sub-seties has never being made, Nomura also suggested that the game could eventually be produced in some form — and some in the Final Fantasy fanbase took the publisher’s single-word social media post in early 2025 of “Yuna” as a hint that the sequel or a remake could still be in the early stages of development.

Final Fantasy Fortress

Created by Swedish company Grin, Fortress was a Nordic-inspired action-RPG that Square Enix saw great potential in during the early stages of development. Square Enix ended up convincing the company to tweak the game somewhat, fashioning it into a spin-off of Final Fantasy XII that would have brought back several characters from that game for a new adventure. Initially, Grin was on board with the direction, and incoperated elements like chocobos and the realm of Ivalice into their game.

However, brewing conflict between the developer and Square Enix over the art style and overall development led to the latter refusing to fund the title. Coupled with a series of poorly received releases by Grin (like Wanted: Weapons of Fate and Bionic Commando) in 2009, Square Enix ultimately backed out of the project. Grin considered suing Square Enix over the decision, but the developer’s going into bankruptcy thwarted those plans. The game was ultimately cancelled, although some elements of it (including concept art and potential music) were leaked to the public.

Chocobo Racing 3D

Chocobo Racing was a wild deviation from the typical Final Fantasy model, bringing the franchise’s famous bird steeds into a kart racing game. Released on the PlayStation in 1999, the game was met with mixed reviews and failed to make a major splash. Despite this, a follow-up was considered in 2010 that would have brought the series to the Nintendo 3DS.

It’s unclear how the game would have incoperated the 3DS’s unique control scheme and capabilities, as little was revealed about the title before it was confirmed to have been cancelled in 2013. Notably, the Chocobo Racing series did eventually get a follow-up in the form of 2022’s Chocobo GP for the Switch.

Final Fantasy Type-Next

Intended as a continuation of the Type sub-series of games, Final Fantasy Type-Next was a passion project for director Hajime Tabata. Final Fantasy Type-0 HD even featured a short teaser hinting at the potential direction of the proposed game, and would have featured a returning Ace as the protagonist in a story set within a world inspired by Ancient Japan.

However, development was stalled while the team behind the game was moved over to Final Fantasy XV. While concept art for the game was showcased at a promotional event for Final Fantasy Type-0 HD and Tabata repeatedly expressed interest in the project, the game was never formally confirmed — and lost its biggest champion when Tabata left Square Enix in 2018, seemingly stopping the game for at least the foreseeable future.