Final Fantasy IX kids cartoon in development at Cyber Group Studios

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A French animation studio has announced that it is working alongside Square Enix to produce a children’s cartoon based upon classic PlayStation RPG Final Fantasy IX.

According to children’s media outlet Kidscreen, Parisian producer Cyber Group Studios, (who has created several kid-friendly animated shows), is putting the final touches on a show “bible”, and is expected to begin production of the Final Fantasy IX cartoon at the tail-end of 2021. Cyber Group Studios will handle the production, distribution, and merchandising of the new series, which is aiming at 8-to-13-year-olds as its target demography.

“The games have a strong co-viewing potential. For those who [don’t] know Final Fantasy IX, this will be an [introduction],” said Cyber Group Studios CEO Pierre Sissman in a brief statement. “And for the many who [do], this will immerse them in a universe they’ll love.”

Released on PlayStation in the summer of 2000, Final Fantasy IX dialled back on the sexier, edgier style of its recent predecessors to return a more traditional, fairy-tale aesthetic to Square Enix’ legendary adventure series. While this visual style turned off many players, brought into the fold with Final Fantasies VII and VIII, FF IX’s layered storytelling would find its own devoted audience of fans, many of whom consider it one of the franchise’s finest entries.