There have long been stories about the power of certain game consoles causing worries among military authorities. One such story, involving the PlayStation 2, has now been confirmed by Kazuhiko Aoki, one of the developers of Final Fantasy IX.
In a recent interview with Famitsu, Aoki revealed that the testing phases of Final Fantasy IX on PlayStation 2 were complicated because developers had trouble taking PS2 development kits outside Japan. At that time, there were concerns that the console’s advanced technology might be used for military purposes.
Restrictions on Advanced Technology
Although Final Fantasy IX was released on the original PlayStation, the team wanted to test it on the upcoming PlayStation 2 near the end of development. However, this was difficult due to strict export regulations.
Aoki, who was living in Hawaii at the time, said he could not receive the PS2 development kit because of restrictions on advanced, unlicensed technology that had not yet been released to the public market.
He explained that the PS2 CPU was “so overpowered” that authorities feared it could potentially be used for military applications — confirming what many had previously dismissed as a myth.
Eventually, after a “very difficult situation,” the team managed to get the development kit delivered, allowing them to test the game on Sony’s brand-new console before its official launch.
Today, that story serves as a reminder of how groundbreaking the PlayStation 2’s hardware was at the time — powerful enough to blur the line between consumer tech and government-level computing.
