Anyone else worried about a Final Fantasy XIII remaster?

A disturbing thought looms overhead. Square Enix is so comfortable, so free with its ports, Final Fantasy games never remain locked on one platform and making HD remasters of last generation games is the latest “thing.” The facts are all there, and it feels as though it’s leading up to my greatest fear. What if the Final Fantasy XIII saga comes back?

Every time a major gaming convention comes up, I hesitate to check my inbox. What if PAX Prime is the perfect time? Could the Tokyo Game Show turn our worlds upside-down with a Lightning strike? Will the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy resurface?

It could very well happen. Square Enix is all about rereleasing games. The Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition came to the PS4 and Xbox One a little under a year after Lara Craft was reborn on the PS3 and Xbox 360. The Final Fantasy X|X-2 HD Remaster showed up on the PS4 a year after the PS3 and Vita versions. Final Fantasy Type-0 HD is now a PC game following its PS4 and Xbox One debut earlier this year. There’s a precedent.

We know the company has no qualms about letting Lightning out again. The trilogy trudged onto PCs, starting with Final Fantasy XIII in October 2014. Final Fantasy XIII-2 followed, and Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII will be here sometime in 2015. Optimization work is obviously being done. Who’s to say some team isn’t working on a Final Fantasy XIII Collection for the PS4 and Xbox One?

Perhaps my concerns are misplaced. Final Fantasy XIII isn’t the worst game. It’s simply not the best entry in the series. Yet, I can’t overcome this sense of dread. It would be so easy for Square Enix to throw together some HD remaster or definitive edition. The company may be preparing another attempt to convince people to let Lightning into their lives again.