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Square-Enix not interested in money, says it’s “undecided” on Final Fantasy 5/6 DS remakes

Square-Enix used to be all about the remakes a few years ago. Playstation, GBA, DS, PSP, you couldn't throw a moogle without hitting a remake of one of the first six Final Fantasy games. It arguably reached its peak with Final Fantasy 4 for the DS. Instead of a simple port like the Game Boy Advanced or Playstation releases, or a shined-up version of a mediore early installment, like Final Fantasy 3, this was a fully-realized 3D remake of one of the best games in the series. It left us with high hopes for remakes of the immensely enjoyable Final Fantasy 5 and the arguably-best-Final-Fantasy-game-period Final Fantasy 6. Those games never showed up.

Instead, Square-Enix focused on Final Fantasy 13 and its whole high-concept "Fabula Nova Crystalis" boondoggle, occasionally releasing the rare nugget of hope to nostalgic fans in the forms of Final Fantasy 1 and 2 for the iPhone. And frankly, if Square-Enix milked the first Final Fantasy any harder its nipples would fly off.

Now, in 2010, three years after the last DS remake, it looks like Square-Enix is still undecided on FF5 and FF6 remakes. According to Joystiq, the company isn't sure about ever remaking the two games for the DS. Producer Shinji Hashimoto said through his Square Enix Partners Twitter account that there are "technical issues" about such remakes, and that the company is "undecided."

I'm just going to go on record here as saying that Final Fantasy 6 is the best game in all of Final Fantasy. Great, accessible combat system, tons of memorable characters, and an epic and emotional story make it a must-play for any RPG fan (although if you haven't played it yet, you aren't an RPG fan to begin with). If Square-Enix released a DS remake of the game, millions of fans, even the jaded scores of gamers long since alienated by the post-FF7 games (and most recently disappointed by Final Fantasy 13) would buy it. Gamers who don't even own DSes would buy them just for the game.

But then, this is the same company that's dragged its feet on a Final Fantasy 7 remake, despite inexplicably focusing on mediocre side-story games and movies based on the game, despite the fact that the original game consistently sells well on Playstation Network, and despite the fact that it would make them more money than Modern Warfare 2. Go figure.