If you were upset to hear that pop star Ariana Grande wouldn’t return in Final Fantasy Resonance, a new mod is here to save the day.
In case you were unaware, Square Enix’s Final Fantasy Resonance will arrive as the long-running RPG franchise’s first proper HD-2D game when it launches next month, and it also happens to be a bit of a remake. The game it’s based on, Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, is a free-to-play game with turn-based gameplay that launched for iOS and Android devices in 2015 and shut down in 2025 – but what does that have to do with Ariana Grande?
The performer behind hits like “break up with your girlfriend, i’m bored,” who also played Galinda in the recent Wicked films, isn’t a newcomer for the Final Fantasy series. Grande actually joined Final Fantasy Brave Exvius in the form of pixelated characters – including one fit with her Dangerous Woman era bunny outfit – in 2017. The announcement (below) even detailed some in-game love for the pop star’s song “Touch It,” but when it comes to Final Fantasy Resonance, Grande’s contribution to the series will be lost to time.
Producer Keisuke Nakashima recently confirmed to Kotaku that Grande “unfortunately” would not appear in the October Final Fantasy game. At the very least, it sounds like a decision Square Enix put some thought into.
“It’s also part of the worldview, you know?” he told the site. “Ariana Grande’s character would not fit within the vibe that we’ve created for Final Fantasy Resonance.”
Modders, it seems, disagree. As spotlighted by the FFR Vision Studio mod (via Eurogamer), Grande can feel right at home back in Final Fantasy Resonance along with a collection of other guest characters. That means you can add other names like Sora from Kingdom Hearts and 2B from Nier Automata to join the fight with only a few clicks.
Keep in mind that this is all more than one month before the game actually comes out. From Grande to Sora, these characters are only available to join Final Fantasy Resonance as part of its recently released demo. The demo does, however, allow players to carry their progress over to the full release, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see former Final Fantasy Brave Exvius characters show up in the launch build, too.
Final Fantasy Resonance launches for PC, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S October 22, 2026. Until then, you can check out IGN’s final preview for the game.
Michael Cripe
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images.
