Final Fantasy 9 Director Reveals PS2’s Power Raised Military Concerns, Causing Development Kit Challenges in Hawaii

Kazuhiko Aoki, the event designer for Final Fantasy IX and producer of Chrono Trigger, shared that acquiring testing equipment for the 2000 Final Fantasy title on the PS2 was quite a challenge. The console’s CPU was deemed so advanced that there were concerns it might be repurposed for military applications.

When I first witnessed Tekken Tag Tournament in action on the PS2, I genuinely thought we had reached the pinnacle of graphical realism. While I was mistaken about the detail in Jin Kazama’s face, I certainly wasn’t alone in being awestruck by the capabilities of Sony’s second-generation gaming hardware.

In a translated interview, Aoki revealed that the shipment of PS2 testing equipment faced delays due to considerations regarding its potential military uses.

Final Fantasy IX was crafted by a dedicated team in Hawaii, with information frequently exchanged with Square’s main office in Japan. Given that this was the late ’90s, much of this communication relied on traditional mail.

“Towards the end of my time in Hawaii, there was talk of sending me some sort of PS2 testing equipment so that I could check if FF9 would run on the PS2,” Aoki recalled. “But at that time, the PS2’s CPU was so overpowered that there was a possibility it would be used for military purposes, so exports were restricted.”

While Aoki didn’t elaborate on whether the military made any decisions regarding the PS2’s immense power, it seems he managed to get one imported to the US just in time. “It took quite some time to reach us,” he noted. “It was a very difficult situation.”

“Square had a kind of recklessness at that time”: During the development of Final Fantasy IX, the team relocated to Hawaii without a solid plan, and some even indulged in themed license plates.