Many collectors who haven't already preordered the standard physical copy of the Final Fantasy 1-6 Pixel Remaster will have to wait now that they've sold out. Square Enix announced the Final Fantasy 1-6 Pixel Remaster on June 13, 2021, and got fans excited to replay classic games with improved graphics and user interface. Obviously, Square Enix recognized the collectible value of the physical product, pricing it at a steep $74, which is more than what players would pay for a modern AAA title. But that didn't deter people at all.
At first, the Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters were only announced for PC, but then it was revealed on December 18 that the port would be coming to Nintendo Switch and PS4. This was cause for even more hype among the fans waiting for over a year for word on a release date. Not only would they be able to play on PC but also on mobile and PS4. Final Fantasy is one of the most popular RPGs of all time, as such, it has a loyal fan base. The opportunity to lay hands on a physical copy for the six games that started it all is a cool prospect, as well as one that may appreciate in value.
Unfortunately for collectors, Square Enix sold out of physical copies of the standard edition since they released the preorder at 1 a.m. ET Dec.19, 2022. Luckily, Final Fantasy 1-6 Pixel Remaster isn't completely unavailable. There are still physical copies players can buy, but the only copies left are included in the $260 collector's 35th-anniversary edition, which includes a vinyl soundtrack, pixel figurines, and a pixel art book. If fans are excited about the 35th anniversary of Final Fantasy and worried they won't get one, there's still hope that more copies will be made in the future, but expect to wait awhile. Square announced the game wouldn't be coming to Playstation and Switch until June 2023.
It's debatable whether this collection is worth $260, even with the collector's items. It makes more sense to price the standard edition at $74, considering it would take a total of at least 161 hours to get through Final Fantasy 1-6. The remaster itself boasts that the 2D pixel graphics have been "universally updated" including classic character designs from Kazuko Shibuya, as well as a "rearranged soundtrack" and a modernization of user interface which will make combat quicker and overall management easier.
Even though Square Enix made it clear that physical copies would be limited, it might not have helped its fans by giving them a warning about when the preorders would be available. There's no way to tell whether it was done intentionally, but the end result is a large portion of their fan base is upset they lost their chance to obtain a physical copy of the Final Fantasy 1-6 Pixel Remaster at a reasonable price.
Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster is currently available on mobile and PC, with PS4 and Switch versions coming in Spring 2023
Source: Square Enix
