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{{Short description|Japanese video game company}} |
{{Short description|Japanese video game company}} |
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{{good article}} |
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{{Use American English|date=June 2023}} |
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{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2021}} |
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{{Infobox company |
{{Infobox company |
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| successor = [[Square Enix]] |
| successor = [[Square Enix]] |
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| founder = [[Masafumi Miyamoto]] |
| founder = [[Masafumi Miyamoto]] |
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| foundation = {{start date and age|1986|9}}<ref name="Foundation"/>{{efn|On April 24, 1991, Square was merged into another company established on July 11, 1966 that became the new Square Co., Ltd.<ref name="Fiscal2019"/>}} |
| foundation = {{start date and age|1986|9}}<ref name="Foundation"/>{{efn|On April 24, 1991, Square was merged into another company established on July 11, 1966, that became the new Square Co., Ltd.<ref name="Fiscal2019"/>}} |
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| defunct = {{start date and age|2003|4|1}} |
| defunct = {{start date and age|2003|4|1}} |
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| location = [[Meguro]], Tokyo, Japan |
| location = [[Meguro]], Tokyo, Japan |
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}} |
}} |
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{{Nihongo foot|'''Square Co., Ltd.'''|株式会社スクウェア|Kabushiki-gaisha Sukuwea|lead=yes|group=lower-alpha}} (also known under its |
{{Nihongo foot|'''Square Co., Ltd.'''|株式会社スクウェア|Kabushiki-gaisha Sukuwea|lead=yes|group=lower-alpha}} (also known under its international [[brand name]] '''SquareSoft''') was a Japanese [[Video game developer|video game development studio]] and [[Video game publisher|publisher]]. It was founded in 1986 by [[Masafumi Miyamoto]], who spun off part of his father's electronics company Den-Yu-Sha. Among its early employees were designers [[Hironobu Sakaguchi]], [[Hiromichi Tanaka]], [[Akitoshi Kawazu]] and [[Koichi Ishii]], artist [[Kazuko Shibuya]], programmer [[Nasir Gebelli]], and composer [[Nobuo Uematsu]]. Initially focusing on [[action game]]s, the team saw popular success with ''[[Final Fantasy (video game)|Final Fantasy]]'' in 1987. A [[role-playing video game]], it became the first in a [[Final Fantasy|franchise of the same name]]. Later notable staff included directors [[Yoshinori Kitase]] and [[Takashi Tokita]], designer and writer [[Yasumi Matsuno]], artists [[Tetsuya Nomura]] and [[Yusuke Naora]], and composers [[Yoko Shimomura]] and [[Masashi Hamauzu]]. |
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Initially developing for PCs, then exclusively for [[Nintendo]] systems, Square broke with Nintendo in the 1990s to develop for Sony's in-development [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]]. Their first PlayStation project, ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]'', was a worldwide critical and commercial success, attributed with boosting the popularity of its genre and platform. Alongside the ''Final Fantasy'' series, the company developed |
Initially developing for PCs, then exclusively for [[Nintendo]] systems, Square broke with Nintendo in the 1990s to develop for Sony's in-development [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]]. Their first PlayStation project, ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]'', was a worldwide critical and commercial success, attributed with boosting the popularity of its genre and platform. Alongside the ''Final Fantasy'' series, the company developed and published several other notable series, including ''[[SaGa]]'', ''[[Mana (series)|Mana]]'', ''[[Front Mission]]'', ''[[Chrono (series)|Chrono]]'', and ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]''. Over the years, many staff left to found studios such as [[Monolith Soft]] (''[[Xeno (series)|Xeno]]''), [[Sacnoth]] (''[[Shadow Hearts]]''), [[Mistwalker]] (''[[Terra Battle]]''), and [[AlphaDream]] (''[[Mario & Luigi]]''). |
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In |
In 2001, the company saw financial troubles due to the commercial failure of the feature film ''[[Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within]]'', which ultimately led Sakaguchi, the creator of ''Final Fantasy'', to withdraw from active game production and leave the company in 2003. The film's failure disrupted merger discussions with [[Enix]], publisher of the ''[[Dragon Quest]]'' series. Following the success of ''[[Final Fantasy X]]'' and ''[[Kingdom Hearts (video game)|Kingdom Hearts]]'', negotiations resumed and the merger went ahead on April 1, 2003. |
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Square as a developer and publisher has become famous in the gaming industry, with ''Final Fantasy'' ranking as one of the best-selling and best-known [[role-playing video game]] series of all time. Several of their games have also marked commercial milestones in gaming for various platforms, and continue to be lauded as classics. Many of Square's staff who left the company at various points founded other studios, including [[Monolith Soft]] (''[[Xeno (series)|Xeno]]''), [[Sacnoth]] (''[[Shadow Hearts]]''), [[Mistwalker]] (''[[Terra Battle]]'') and [[AlphaDream]] (''[[Mario & Luigi]]''). |
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==History== |
==History== |
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===Origins=== |
===Origins=== |
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Square was initially established in September 1983 as a software subsidiary of Den-Yu-Sha, |
Square was initially established in September 1983 as a software subsidiary of Den-Yu-Sha, an [[Electric power industry|electric power conglomerate]] led by Kuniichi Miyamoto.<ref name="Foundation"/><ref name="history"/> His son [[Masafumi Miyamoto]], then a part-time employee of the Science and Technology Department at [[Keio University]], had little interest in following his father into the electricity business.<ref name="history"/><ref name="EdgeSakaguchi"/> Miyamoto instead became a software developer at the [[Yokohama]] branch of Den-Yu-Sha in [[Hiyoshi]], with a focus on the emerging video game market.<ref name="history"/><ref name="paper"/> Their original offices were based in a former hairdresser's salon.<ref name="EdgeSakaguchi"/> The company's name referred to a [[Glossary of golf|golfing term]], and represented its aim to face challenges head-on. It also referenced a [[town square]], emphasizing a production environment based on cooperation.<ref name="SquareName"/> |
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At the time, video games in Japan were usually created by a single programmer. Miyamoto, on the other hand, believed that graphic designers, programmers, and professional story writers would be needed to keep up with advances in computing and video game development.<ref name="paper"/> During these early years, the group was compared to a [[family business]]; one of the early hires, Shinichiro Kajitani, joined because he was a friend of Miyamoto, and later compared the company at that time to a "college club".<ref name="PolygonRetro"/> To recruit for this new organizational structure, Miyamoto |
At the time, video games in Japan were usually created by a single programmer. Miyamoto, on the other hand, believed that graphic designers, programmers, and professional story writers would be needed to keep up with advances in computing and video game development.<ref name="paper"/> During these early years, the group was compared to a [[family business]]; one of the early hires, Shinichiro Kajitani, joined because he was a friend of Miyamoto, and later compared the company at that time to a "college club".<ref name="PolygonRetro"/> To recruit for this new organizational structure, Miyamoto organized a [[Salon (gathering)|salon]] in Yokohama and offered jobs to those who demonstrated exceptional programming skills.<ref name="history"/> This led to the part-time hiring of university students [[Hironobu Sakaguchi]] and [[Hiromichi Tanaka]], as well as Hisashi Suzuki, who would go on to become Square's CEO.<ref name="history"/><ref name="EdgeSakaguchi"/> Miyamoto's initial plan was to recruit from Keio University, but this never materialized.<ref name="EdgeSakaguchi"/> |
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===1985–1987: First games, ''Final Fantasy''=== |
===1985–1987: First games, ''Final Fantasy''=== |
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[[File:Hironobu Sakaguchi in 2015 (16102150083) (cropped).jpg|thumb|alt=A man speaking into a microphone|Hironobu Sakaguchi (pictured in 2015) was an early employee of Square and created its popular ''[[Final Fantasy]]'' franchise.]] |
[[File:Hironobu Sakaguchi in 2015 (16102150083) (cropped).jpg|thumb|alt=A man speaking into a microphone|Hironobu Sakaguchi (pictured in 2015) was an early employee of Square and created its popular ''[[Final Fantasy]]'' franchise.]] |
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Square's first attempt at a game was an adaptation of the television game show ''Torin-ingen''. As Miyamoto had not secured the license to adapt it, the show's producers forced Square to cancel the game, prompting its team to be reshuffled.<ref name="EdgeSakaguchi"/> Square's first completed game was ''[[The Death Trap]]'' (1984) for [[NEC PC-8801]], |
Square's first attempt at a game was an adaptation of the television game show ''Torin-ingen''. As Miyamoto had not secured the license to adapt it, the show's producers forced Square to cancel the game, prompting its team to be reshuffled.<ref name="EdgeSakaguchi"/> Square's first completed game was ''[[The Death Trap]]'' (1984) for [[NEC PC-8801]], a [[interactive fiction|text adventure]] set in a war-torn African nation. ''The Death Trap'' was the first game published under the Square brand.<ref name="SquareInfo1998"/><ref name="LastStoryAsks"/> Its sequel, ''Will: The Death Trap II'', was released the following year to commercial success.<ref name="paper"/> Many of Square's early titles were produced for PC devices, and focused on the [[Action game|action]] genre.<ref name="SakaguchiForbes"/><ref name="PUsakaguchi"/> |
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In 1985, the company |
In 1985, the company negotiated a licensing agreement with [[Nintendo]] to develop titles for the Famicom ([[Nintendo Entertainment System]]).<ref name="SquareInfo1998"/> The company shifted to developing for the Famicom to benefit from its stable hardware, compared to the constantly changing components of PCs.<ref name="PCbook"/> Square's first Famicom release was a port of the [[run and gun video game|run and gun]] game ''[[Thexder]]'' (1985), and its first original game was the [[scrolling shooter]] ''[[King's Knight]]'' (1986).<ref name="paper"/><ref name="SakaguchiForbes"/> During this period, the team also hired new developers [[Akitoshi Kawazu]] and [[Koichi Ishii]], artist [[Kazuko Shibuya]], Iranian-American programmer [[Nasir Gebelli]], and composer [[Nobuo Uematsu]].<ref name="EdgeSakaguchi"/><ref name="IwataKawazu"/><ref name="FFVillustrator"/><ref name="1UPff"/> Yusuke Hirata joined that year as sales manager, and later became the company's publicity manager.<ref name="Hirata"/><ref name="HirataEGM"/> |
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In April 1986, Square moved into new offices based in [[Ginza]], noted as one of the most expensive areas for companies to operate; Sakaguchi later speculated Miyamoto was hoping to attract business by appearing affluent.<ref name="Foundation"/><ref name="EdgeSakaguchi"/> Square was re-established as an |
In April 1986, Square moved into new offices based in [[Ginza]], noted as one of the most expensive areas for companies to operate; Sakaguchi later speculated Miyamoto was hoping to attract business by appearing affluent.<ref name="Foundation"/><ref name="EdgeSakaguchi"/> Square was re-established as an independent developer in September of that year with capital of [[Japanese yen|¥]]10 million, buying the original Square gaming division from Den-Yu-Sha in December.<ref name="Foundation"/> Sakaguchi was appointed as a Director of Planning and Development,<ref name="bio"/> and Hisashi Suzuki became one of the company's directors.<ref name="SuzukiInfo"/> Due to the high cost of Ginza rents, the company was forced to move into smaller offices in Okachimachi, [[Taitō]].<ref name="Foundation"/><ref name="EdgeSakaguchi"/> Square began struggling financially following multiple commercial failures for Nintendo's [[Famicom Disk System]] peripheral.<ref name="EdgeSakaguchi"/><ref name="RetroDisk"/> Miyamoto asked the company's four directors for game proposals, with plans to have their staff vote on the best idea. Sakaguchi proposed making a [[role-playing video game]] (RPG), believing it to be a viable project after the success of [[Enix]]'s ''[[Dragon Quest (video game)|Dragon Quest]]'' (1986).<ref name="EdgeSakaguchi"/> |
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While |
While skeptical, Miyamoto allowed production of the RPG on the condition it only had a five-person team. Sakaguchi led development, bringing in Gebelli, Kawazu, Ishii, and Uematsu.<ref name="EdgeSakaguchi"/> Production of the game, eventually called ''[[Final Fantasy (video game)|Final Fantasy]]'', proceeded in "fits and starts". Sakaguchi eventually received help from the other team at Square led by Tanaka, which included Shibuya and newcomer debugger [[Hiroyuki Ito]].<ref name="1UPff"/><ref name="ff12_zjs_ultimania"/><ref name="ff9_ultimania"/> Production on the game lasted roughly ten months. While shipments of 200,000 units were planned, Sakaguchi persuaded Square to double that number.<ref name="EdgeSakaguchi"/><ref name="1UPff"/> ''Final Fantasy'' was released in 1987 to commercial success, selling over 400,000 copies in Japan.<ref name="1UPff"/> It saw greater sales success in North American when it was released in 1989, selling 700,000 copies.<ref name="FFna"/> Two other Japanese successes from 1987 were ''[[Rad Racer]]'' and ''[[The 3-D Battles of WorldRunner]]''.<ref name="NextGenSakaguchi"/> |
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===1987–1995: Expansion and notable staff=== |
===1987–1995: Expansion and notable staff=== |
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At that time, Square drew some of its development funding from loans from Shikoku Bank. Due to increasing development costs, the bank sent Tomoyuki Takechi on [[secondment]] to be their office manager in 1990. Takechi's secondment lasted until 1994, by which time Square had annual sales worth ¥16 million per year.<ref name="TakechiInterviewA"/><ref name="TakechiInterviewB"/> In August of that year, Square registered with the Japan Securities Dealers Association to offer shares for public purchase.<ref name="SquareName"/> Sakaguchi was by now a prominent figure within the company, and was promoted to Executive President in 1991.<ref name="EuroSakaguchi"/><ref name="bio"/> His increasing corporate involvement lessened his creative input, prompting him to give greater influence to other staff.<ref name="development2"/> Gebelli left Square in 1993, retiring on royalties from the ''Final Fantasy'' series.<ref name="EdgeSakaguchi"/><ref name="NextGenSakaguchi"/> Miyamoto stepped down as Square's President in 1991 while remaining a major shareholder, and was replaced by Tetsuo Mizuno.<ref name="Security1995"/><ref name="RPGFmiyamoto"/> In 1991, Suzuki became Vice President.<ref name="SuzukiInfo"/> |
At that time, Square drew some of its development funding from loans from Shikoku Bank. Due to increasing development costs, the bank sent Tomoyuki Takechi on [[secondment]] to be their office manager in 1990. Takechi's secondment lasted until 1994, by which time Square had annual sales worth ¥16 million per year.<ref name="TakechiInterviewA"/><ref name="TakechiInterviewB"/> In August of that year, Square registered with the Japan Securities Dealers Association to offer shares for public purchase.<ref name="SquareName"/> Sakaguchi was by now a prominent figure within the company, and was promoted to Executive President in 1991.<ref name="EuroSakaguchi"/><ref name="bio"/> His increasing corporate involvement lessened his creative input, prompting him to give greater influence to other staff.<ref name="development2"/> Gebelli left Square in 1993, retiring on royalties from the ''Final Fantasy'' series.<ref name="EdgeSakaguchi"/><ref name="NextGenSakaguchi"/> Miyamoto stepped down as Square's President in 1991 while remaining a major shareholder, and was replaced by Tetsuo Mizuno.<ref name="Security1995"/><ref name="RPGFmiyamoto"/> In 1991, Suzuki became Vice President.<ref name="SuzukiInfo"/> |
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As ''Final Fantasy'' became a featured property for the company, Square produced |
As ''Final Fantasy'' became a featured property for the company, Square produced additional projects that became successful series of their own.<ref name="EuroSakaguchi"/> The Japan-exclusive [[real-time strategy]] series ''[[Hanjuku Hero]]'', which began in 1988, parodied conventions of the RPG genre.<ref name="HeroA"/><ref name="HeroB"/> Kawazu helmed an RPG project for the Game Boy. Released in 1989, ''Makai Toushi SaGa'' (''[[The Final Fantasy Legend]]'') spawned the ''[[SaGa]]'' series, which Kawazu would continue to be involved over the years.<ref name="gpara"/><ref name="RetroInfo"/> After the release of ''[[Final Fantasy III]]'' (1990), Ishii was offered the chance to create his own game, leading to the production of ''Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden'' (''[[Final Fantasy Adventure]]'') for the Game Boy in 1991. Ishii went on to develop additional ''Seiken Densetsu'' titles, released outside of Japan as the ''[[Mana (series)|Mana]]'' series.<ref name="IshiiManaInterview"/><ref name="NWRmana"/> A famous game from the period was ''[[Chrono Trigger]]'', born from a collaboration between Sakaguchi, ''Dragon Quest'' creator [[Yuji Horii]], and ''[[Dragon Ball]]'' artist [[Akira Toriyama]].<ref name="vjump1"/><ref name="Mitsuda1UP"/> Among other standalone titles were the Western-exclusive ''[[Secret of Evermore]]'',<ref name="Evermore"/> and the ''[[Mario (franchise)|Mario]]''-themed ''[[Super Mario RPG]]'' co-produced with Nintendo.<ref name="Max2"/> Reflecting on this period, Sakaguchi noted that ''Final Fantasy'' was the company's most recognized property, while celebrating the fact that the company would still be profitable on the merits of their other successful game series.<ref name="8yBnj"/> |
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Additional staff joined Square by the early 1990s, inspired by the successful ''Final Fantasy'' series, with several first working on ''[[Final Fantasy IV]]'' (1991),<ref name="FFIVstaff"/><ref name="SEgames95-91"/> [[Yoshinori Kitase]] acted as a writer and later director,<ref name="KitaseCareer"/> artist [[Tetsuya Nomura]] began as a graphic designer,<ref name="SilNomura"/> and [[Tetsuya Takahashi]] and [[Soraya Saga|Kaori Tanaka]] were both artists and writers.<ref name ="live"/><ref name="part1"/> [[Takashi Tokita]] became a full-time employee at the company,<ref name="GamaTokita"/><ref name="IVfaninterview3"/> and Hiroyuki Ito began his work as a game designer.<ref name="ff9_ultimania"/><ref name="1upIto"/> [[Chihiro Fujioka]] worked on several projects including co-directing ''Super Mario RPG''.<ref name="Fujioka"/> [[Kenichi Nishi]] worked in minor roles on ''Chrono Trigger'' and ''Super Mario RPG''.<ref name="CubedNishi"/> [[Masato Kato]], who joined in 1993, became scenario writer for ''Chrono Trigger''.<ref name="KatoInterview"/><ref name="KatoTrigger"/> Artist [[Yusuke Naora]] first worked on ''Final Fantasy VI''.<ref name="PolygonRetro"/><ref name="NaoraDesign"/> [[Kazushige Nojima]], known for his work on the ''[[Glory of Heracles]]'' series, joined as a scenario writer.<ref name="GparaNojima"/> Future director [[Motomu Toriyama]], who had no experience with game development, began as a scenario writer.<ref name="GStoriyama"/> |
Additional staff joined Square by the early 1990s, inspired by the successful ''Final Fantasy'' series, with several first working on ''[[Final Fantasy IV]]'' (1991),<ref name="FFIVstaff"/><ref name="SEgames95-91"/> [[Yoshinori Kitase]] acted as a writer and later director,<ref name="KitaseCareer"/> artist [[Tetsuya Nomura]] began as a graphic designer,<ref name="SilNomura"/> and [[Tetsuya Takahashi]] and [[Soraya Saga|Kaori Tanaka]] were both artists and writers.<ref name ="live"/><ref name="part1"/> [[Takashi Tokita]] became a full-time employee at the company,<ref name="GamaTokita"/><ref name="IVfaninterview3"/> and Hiroyuki Ito began his work as a game designer.<ref name="ff9_ultimania"/><ref name="1upIto"/> [[Chihiro Fujioka]] worked on several projects including co-directing ''Super Mario RPG''.<ref name="Fujioka"/> [[Kenichi Nishi]] worked in minor roles on ''Chrono Trigger'' and ''Super Mario RPG''.<ref name="CubedNishi"/> [[Masato Kato]], who joined in 1993, became scenario writer for ''Chrono Trigger''.<ref name="KatoInterview"/><ref name="KatoTrigger"/> Artist [[Yusuke Naora]] first worked on ''Final Fantasy VI''.<ref name="PolygonRetro"/><ref name="NaoraDesign"/> [[Kazushige Nojima]], known for his work on the ''[[Glory of Heracles]]'' series, joined as a scenario writer.<ref name="GparaNojima"/> Future director [[Motomu Toriyama]], who had no experience with game development, began as a scenario writer.<ref name="GStoriyama"/> |
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Square also hired additional music staff.<ref name="Mitsuda1UP"/><ref name="RocketInterview"/> [[Kenji Ito]] contributed to both the ''SaGa'' and ''Mana'' series.<ref name="ItoRPGF"/><ref name="GamaIto"/> [[Hiroki Kikuta]] worked on the ''Mana'' series and standalone projects.<ref name="RocketInterview"/> [[Yasunori Mitsuda]] started as a sound designer and was lauded for his work on the ''[[Chrono (series)|Chrono]]'' series.<ref name="Mitsuda1UP"/> [[Yoko Shimomura]], formerly a [[Capcom]] composer, did her first work on ''[[Live A Live]]'' (1994).<ref name="GamaShimomura"/> In 1995, Square moved its headquarters to the [[Shimomeguro]] district in [[Meguro]].<ref name="SquareInfo1998" /> |
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===1995–1999: Move to PlayStation=== |
===1995–1999: Move to PlayStation=== |
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[[File:PSX-Console-wController.jpg|thumb|Due to [[Nintendo]]'s continued use of cartridges, Square moved game production over to the PlayStation.|alt=The Sony PlayStation]] |
[[File:PSX-Console-wController.jpg|thumb|Due to [[Nintendo]]'s continued use of cartridges, Square moved game production over to the PlayStation.|alt=The Sony PlayStation]] |
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Following the release of ''Final Fantasy VI'' and ''Chrono Trigger'', Square staff began planning the next entry in the ''Final Fantasy'' series, and entered the emerging [[3D computer graphics|3D gaming]] market. With the production of ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]'', Square decided to shift their projects to Sony's new [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]] console, prompted by the affordability of CD-ROM distribution, compared to Nintendo's continued use of expensive cartridges.<ref name="VIIinterviews" /> This shift caused a long-standing rift between Square and Nintendo; one Square employee recalled Nintendo telling the company to "never come back".<ref name="PolygonRetro"/> In 1996, Square's final project with Nintendo was [[Sting Entertainment]]{{'}}s ''[[Treasure Hunter G]]'' for the Super Famicom, while the company debuted [[DreamFactory]]'s ''[[Tobal No. 1]]'' for the |
Following the release of ''Final Fantasy VI'' and ''Chrono Trigger'', Square staff began planning the next entry in the ''Final Fantasy'' series, and entered the emerging [[3D computer graphics|3D gaming]] market. With the production of ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]'', Square decided to shift their projects to Sony's new [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]] console, prompted by the affordability of CD-ROM distribution, compared to Nintendo's continued use of expensive [[ROM cartridge|cartridges]].<ref name="VIIinterviews" /> This shift caused a long-standing rift between Square and Nintendo; one Square employee recalled Nintendo telling the company to "never come back".<ref name="PolygonRetro"/> In 1996, Square's final project with Nintendo was [[Sting Entertainment]]{{'}}s ''[[Treasure Hunter G]]'' for the Super Famicom, while the company debuted [[DreamFactory (Japanese company)|DreamFactory]]'s ''[[Tobal No. 1]]'' for the PlayStation that same year.<ref name="SquareInfo1998"/><ref name="1UP1thg"/> Soon after, the company signed a licensing agreement with Sony, who gained the exclusive right to publish Square's next six games in the West.<ref name="PolygonRetro"/><ref name="SquareInfo1998"/> |
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Square |
Square continued work on ''Final Fantasy VII'', with Kitase as director, Naora as art director, Nomura as a lead artist, and Nojima as scenario writer. Released worldwide in 1997, ''Final Fantasy VII'' was a worldwide commercial and critical success, bringing Square international fame.<ref name="PolygonRetro"/> Also in 1997, at Square's invitation, Takechi returned and took Mizuno's place as President.<ref name="TakechiInterviewB"/> Three new hires during the period were [[Shinji Hashimoto]], [[Yasumi Matsuno]], and [[Masashi Hamauzu]].<ref name="ten"/><ref name="MatsunoDorimanga"/> Hashimoto joined in 1995 as promotions producer for ''Final Fantasy VII''.<ref name="ten"/> Matsuno, along with a number of other developers, had left [[Quest Corporation]] following the release of ''[[Tactics Ogre]]'' (1995), and worked with Sakaguchi on ''[[Final Fantasy Tactics]]'' (1997).<ref name="MatsunoDorimanga"/><ref name="FFTinterviews"/> Hamauzu joined in 1996, and worked on ''Final Fantasy'' spin-off titles and the ''SaGa'' series.<ref name="Hamauzu"/> Sakaguchi, working on other projects, took on the role of executive producer for the series beginning with ''[[Final Fantasy VIII]]'', and Hashimoto stepped in as producer.<ref name="PolygonRetro"/><ref name="development2"/> Hirata went from an administrative position to lead producer, focusing on diversifying Square's library into new game genres.<ref name="Hirata"/> |
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Several properties were introduced during this period.<ref name="PolygonRetro"/> These included ''[[Parasite Eve (video game)|Parasite Eve]]'', based on a [[Parasite Eve (novel)|novel of the same name]] by [[Hideaki Sena]];<ref name="IGNinfo"/><ref name="Sena"/> ''[[Front Mission]]'', which began on the Super Famicom but was transferred to the PlayStation beginning with its [[Front Mission 2|second entry]];<ref name="dengeki2004"/> and the ''Final Fantasy'' spin-off series ''[[List of Chocobo media|Chocobo]]'', starring an incarnation of the [[Chocobo|titular mascot character]].<ref name="RetroChoco"/> As Square was estranged from Nintendo,<ref name="PolygonRetro"/> the company supported other platforms including the [[WonderSwan]] and [[Windows]].<ref name="SquareName"/><ref name="jeuxvideopc"/> Late in the PlayStation's lifecycle, Square continued to support the console with multiple releases, such as ''[[Threads of Fate]]'' (1999) and ''[[Vagrant Story]]'' (2000).<ref name="GSupdate"/> The company also began work on [[PlayOnline]], a digital storefront and a platform for online game services and web content.<ref name="PlayIGN"/><ref name="millennium"/> |
Several properties were introduced during this period.<ref name="PolygonRetro"/> These included ''[[Parasite Eve (video game)|Parasite Eve]]'', based on a [[Parasite Eve (novel)|novel of the same name]] by [[Hideaki Sena]];<ref name="IGNinfo"/><ref name="Sena"/> ''[[Front Mission]]'', which began on the Super Famicom but was transferred to the PlayStation beginning with its [[Front Mission 2|second entry]];<ref name="dengeki2004"/> and the ''Final Fantasy'' spin-off series ''[[List of Chocobo media|Chocobo]]'', starring an incarnation of the [[Chocobo|titular mascot character]].<ref name="RetroChoco"/> As Square was estranged from Nintendo,<ref name="PolygonRetro"/> the company supported other platforms including the [[WonderSwan]] and [[Windows]].<ref name="SquareName"/><ref name="jeuxvideopc"/> Late in the PlayStation's lifecycle, Square continued to support the console with multiple releases, such as ''[[Threads of Fate]]'' (1999) and ''[[Vagrant Story]]'' (2000).<ref name="GSupdate"/> The company also began work on [[PlayOnline]], a digital storefront and a platform for online game services and web content.<ref name="PlayIGN"/><ref name="millennium"/> |
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===2000–2003: ''The Spirits Within'', final years=== |
===2000–2003: ''The Spirits Within'', final years=== |
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In addition to leading production on ''[[Final Fantasy IX]]'' (2000), Sakaguchi also worked at the 1997-established Square Pictures studio on a ''Final Fantasy'' feature film.<ref name="PolygonRetro"/><ref name="KZ6TV"/> Called ''[[Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within]]'', it was planned as Sakaguchi's first push towards cross-media storytelling; however, the project ran over budget and ended up costing Square and co-producer [[Columbia Pictures]] US$137 million.<ref name="EuroSakaguchi"/><ref name="dream"/> Upon its release in 2001, ''The Spirits Within'' was met with mixed critical reception, and grossed only $85 million. |
In addition to leading production on ''[[Final Fantasy IX]]'' (2000), Sakaguchi also worked at the 1997-established Square Pictures studio on a ''Final Fantasy'' feature film.<ref name="PolygonRetro"/><ref name="KZ6TV"/> Called ''[[Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within]]'', it was planned as Sakaguchi's first push towards cross-media storytelling; however, the project ran over budget and ended up costing Square and co-producer [[Columbia Pictures]] US$137 million.<ref name="EuroSakaguchi"/><ref name="dream"/> Upon its release in 2001, ''The Spirits Within'' was met with mixed critical reception, and grossed only $85 million. Labeled as a [[box-office bomb]], the film damaged Square's finances, and led to the closure of Square Pictures.<ref name="PolygonRetro"/> |
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Following both the failure of ''The Spirits Within'' and a delay to ''[[Final Fantasy X]]'' (2001) for the [[PlayStation 2]], Square suffered a financial loss for the first time, prompting Sakaguchi, Takechi, and director Masatsugu Hiramatsu to resign from their positions.<ref name="PolygonRetro"/><ref name="FamResigned"/> Sakaguchi was kept on as executive producer for ''Final Fantasy'', while Takechi and Hiramatsu were retained as external consultants.<ref name="FamResigned"/> This period left Sakaguchi in a state of low morale.<ref name="SakaguchiGamer"/> In late 2001, Suzuki stepped down as President, and was replaced by Wada.<ref name="KQ4S7"/> Yosuke Matsuda became Senior Vice President.<ref name="SEdirectors"/> Kenji Ito also left during this period to work as a freelance composer.<ref name="ItoRPGF"/> Prior to the film's release, rival company Enix was proposing merging with another game company to alleviate development costs, opening serious discussions with Square in 2000.<ref name="EnixMerger"/><ref name="hesitant"/> Square's financial losses with ''The Spirits Within'' prompted Enix to halt discussions.<ref name="hesitant"/> |
Following both the failure of ''The Spirits Within'' and a delay to ''[[Final Fantasy X]]'' (2001) for the [[PlayStation 2]], Square suffered a financial loss for the first time, prompting Sakaguchi, Takechi, and director Masatsugu Hiramatsu to resign from their positions.<ref name="PolygonRetro"/><ref name="FamResigned"/> Sakaguchi was kept on as executive producer for ''Final Fantasy'', while Takechi and Hiramatsu were retained as external consultants.<ref name="FamResigned"/> This period left Sakaguchi in a state of low morale.<ref name="SakaguchiGamer"/> In late 2001, Suzuki stepped down as President, and was replaced by Wada.<ref name="KQ4S7"/> Yosuke Matsuda became Senior Vice President.<ref name="SEdirectors"/> Kenji Ito also left during this period to work as a freelance composer.<ref name="ItoRPGF"/> Prior to the film's release, rival company Enix was proposing merging with another game company to alleviate development costs, opening serious discussions with Square in 2000.<ref name="EnixMerger"/><ref name="hesitant"/> Square's financial losses with ''The Spirits Within'' prompted Enix to halt discussions.<ref name="hesitant"/> |
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Under Wada, the company underwent restructuring with the intent of streamlining production and resources, and cutting development costs to increase profits.<ref name="Xhi14"/> After evaluation of its financial position, and with changes to the [[console war]] |
Under Wada, the company underwent restructuring with the intent of streamlining production and resources, and cutting development costs to increase profits.<ref name="Xhi14"/> After evaluation of its financial position, and with changes to the [[console war]] due to Microsoft's [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]], Square opened talks with Nintendo for the first time since their breakup in the 1990s.<ref name="developer"/><ref name="studios"/> The talks were successful, with ''[[Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles (video game)|Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles]]'' beginning development for the [[GameCube]] in late 2001.<ref name="studios"/><ref name="unlimited"/> Square also began production on ''[[Final Fantasy X-2]]'', the first direct sequel to a ''Final Fantasy'' game.<ref name="Xhi14"/><ref name="igndeveloperinterview"/><ref name="SakaguchiSequels"/> ''Final Fantasy X-2'' was Sakaguchi's last credited project at Square, and he left the company in 2003.<ref name="IwataAsks1"/> Around this time, Square also began development on ''[[Kingdom Hearts (video game)|Kingdom Hearts]]'' (2002), with Nomura making his directorial debut. The game was a collaboration between Square and [[The Walt Disney Company]], blending Disney characters with ''Final Fantasy'' elements in an original story.<ref name="IGN-TGS04-NI"/><ref name="Insider-KHU-NI"/> ''Kingdom Hearts'' was Shimomura's last project as an in-house composer before going freelance in 2002.<ref name="ShimomuraInterview"/> Also released in 2002 was the Japanese version of ''[[Final Fantasy XI]]'', the company's first [[MMORPG]].<ref name="XIrelease"/><ref name="jeuxvideopc"/> Conceived by Sakaguchi, it was developed by the ''Chrono'' team and led by Ishii.<ref name="jeuxvideopc"/> ''Final Fantasy XI'' and its first expansion was Kato's last work for Square before leaving in 2002 to go freelance.<ref name="XIkato"/> |
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Following the commercial success of ''Final Fantasy X'' and ''Kingdom Hearts'', Square and Enix resumed talks and agreed to merge their two companies. Wada described it as a merger of two companies "at their height".<ref name="ua89H" /> Despite this, the merger had its skeptics, particularly Miyamoto who did not want to see his [[Stock dilution|controlling stake diluted]] in a merged company.<ref name="RPGFmiyamoto"/> Miyamoto's issue was resolved by altering the exchange ratio to one Square share for 0.81 Enix shares, and the merger was greenlit.<ref name="3i4VG" /> [[Square Enix]] was formed on April 1, 2003, with Enix as the surviving corporate entity and Square dissolving its departments and subsidiaries into the new company.<ref name="3i4VG" /><ref name="EnixSurvive"/> Around 80% of Square's staff transitioned into Square Enix.<ref name="SQEXoneyear"/> Square's last release was the Japanese version of ''X-2''.<ref name="SquareLast"/> |
Following the commercial success of ''Final Fantasy X'' and ''Kingdom Hearts'', Square and Enix resumed talks and agreed to merge their two companies. Wada described it as a merger of two companies "at their height".<ref name="ua89H" /> Despite this, the merger had its skeptics, particularly Miyamoto who did not want to see his [[Stock dilution|controlling stake diluted]] in a merged company.<ref name="RPGFmiyamoto"/> Miyamoto's issue was resolved by altering the exchange ratio to one Square share for 0.81 Enix shares, and the merger was greenlit.<ref name="3i4VG" /> [[Square Enix]] was formed on April 1, 2003, with Enix as the surviving corporate entity and Square dissolving its departments and subsidiaries into the new company.<ref name="3i4VG" /><ref name="EnixSurvive"/> Around 80% of Square's staff transitioned into Square Enix.<ref name="SQEXoneyear"/> Square's last release was the Japanese version of ''X-2''.<ref name="SquareLast"/> |
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==Structure== |
==Structure== |
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===Development structure |
===Development structure=== |
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{{see also |
{{see also|Localization of Square Enix video games}} |
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During reports on the merger with Enix, Takashi Oya of Deutsche Securities contrasted Enix's tradition of outsourcing development versus Square's approach to developing "everything by itself".<ref name="OyaComments"/> When Square was founded in the early 1980s, there was no set development structure, with the ten-person staff freely shifting between roles and projects. This eventually evolved into two loosely-defined production groups, led by Sakaguchi and Tanaka, respectively.<ref name="EdgeSakaguchi"/> Following the release of ''Final Fantasy IV'', Sakaguchi divided the production team, assigning different staff members to the ''Final Fantasy'', ''SaGa'' and ''Mana'' series.<ref name="SilNomura"/> A secondary studio was founded in Osaka in 1990, with ''[[Final Fantasy Legend III]]'' (1991) as their first project.<ref name="SaGaFujioka"/> |
During reports on the merger with Enix, Takashi Oya of Deutsche Securities contrasted Enix's tradition of outsourcing development versus Square's approach to developing "everything by itself".<ref name="OyaComments"/> When Square was founded in the early 1980s, there was no set development structure, with the ten-person staff freely shifting between roles and projects. This eventually evolved into two loosely-defined production groups, led by Sakaguchi and Tanaka, respectively.<ref name="EdgeSakaguchi"/> Following the release of ''Final Fantasy IV'', Sakaguchi divided the production team, assigning different staff members to the ''Final Fantasy'', ''SaGa'' and ''Mana'' series.<ref name="SilNomura"/> A secondary studio was founded in Osaka in 1990, with ''[[Final Fantasy Legend III]]'' (1991) as their first project.<ref name="SaGaFujioka"/> |
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By 1997, the company was divided into eight development divisions, with two based in Osaka.<ref name="FiscalMarch1997"/> In 1998, the old development divisions were restructured into Production Departments, and the Osaka branch was closed down.<ref name="FiscalOctober1998"/> The system was reshuffled again in 2002 to promote "greater understanding", and allow for reassignment between divisions.<ref name="Divisions2002"/> Among the heads of divisions at this time were Kitase, Kawazu, Tanaka, Matsuno and Hirata.<ref name="Divisions2002"/> Following the merger with Enix, the eight divisions were incorporated into the new company, with two additional divisions brought in from Enix.<ref name="RPGFsqex"/> |
By 1997, the company was divided into eight development divisions, with two based in Osaka.<ref name="FiscalMarch1997"/> In 1998, the old development divisions were restructured into Production Departments, and the Osaka branch was closed down.<ref name="FiscalOctober1998"/> The system was reshuffled again in 2002 to promote "greater understanding", and allow for reassignment between divisions.<ref name="Divisions2002"/> Among the heads of divisions at this time were Kitase, Kawazu, Tanaka, Matsuno and Hirata.<ref name="Divisions2002"/> Following the merger with Enix, the eight divisions were incorporated into the new company, with two additional divisions brought in from Enix.<ref name="RPGFsqex"/> |
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⚫ | While Square self-published the majority of its games in Japan,<ref name="Foundation"/><ref name="history"/> by contrast their Western presence during the 80s and early 90s was small.<ref name="NextGenSakaguchi"/> RPGs were not popular in the North American market at that time, and Square's presence in Europe was limited.<ref name="NextGenSakaguchi"/><ref name="SuperLive"/> The original ''Final Fantasy'' was published in North America in 1990 by Nintendo of America |
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Square initially did not have an internal localization department, instead outsourcing to a number of translators.<ref name="FF2"/> Following the release of ''Final Fantasy VII'', which saw criticism for its localization, Square created an internal department to encourage higher quality.<ref name="SQlocalization"/> Initially having only two employees, it grew steadily over the years.<ref name="1upLocalPanel"/> Individual games still ran into difficulties due to their large text sizes, difficulties translating some culture-specific elements, potential censorship, and the introduction of voice acting with games including ''Final Fantasy X''.<ref name="SQlocalization"/><ref name="gamaSmith"/><ref name="USgamerLocal"/> Notable localization staff included Kaoru Moriyama,<ref name="FF2"/> [[Ted Woolsey]],<ref name="SuperLive"/> Michael Basket,<ref name="SQlocalization"/> [[Richard Honeywood]],<ref name="SQlocalization"/> and [[Alexander O. Smith]].<ref name="gamaSmith"/> |
Square initially did not have an internal localization department, instead outsourcing to a number of translators.<ref name="FF2"/> Following the release of ''Final Fantasy VII'', which saw criticism for its localization, Square created an internal department to encourage higher quality.<ref name="SQlocalization"/> Initially having only two employees, it grew steadily over the years.<ref name="1upLocalPanel"/> Individual games still ran into difficulties due to their large text sizes, difficulties translating some culture-specific elements, potential censorship, and the introduction of voice acting with games including ''Final Fantasy X''.<ref name="SQlocalization"/><ref name="gamaSmith"/><ref name="USgamerLocal"/> Notable localization staff included Kaoru Moriyama,<ref name="FF2"/> [[Ted Woolsey]],<ref name="SuperLive"/> Michael Basket,<ref name="SQlocalization"/> [[Richard Honeywood]],<ref name="SQlocalization"/> and [[Alexander O. Smith]].<ref name="gamaSmith"/> |
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===Publishing and subsidiaries=== |
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===Subsidiaries=== |
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{{see also|List of Square video games}} |
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[[File:Square Soft logo.svg|thumb|249x249px|The logo of SquareSoft, Inc.]] |
[[File:Square Soft logo.svg|thumb|249x249px|The logo of SquareSoft, Inc.]] |
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⚫ | While Square self-published the majority of its games in Japan,<ref name="Foundation"/><ref name="history"/> by contrast their Western presence during the 80s and early 90s was small.<ref name="NextGenSakaguchi"/> RPGs were not popular in the North American market at that time, and Square's presence in Europe was limited.<ref name="NextGenSakaguchi"/><ref name="SuperLive"/> The original ''Final Fantasy'' was published in North America in 1990 by Nintendo of America near the end of the life cycle of the Nintendo Entertainment System, resulting in its two sequels being passed over for localization at that time.<ref name="XboxRetro"/><ref name="Cancelled"/> After opening their North American offices, Square began publishing selected titles under the "SquareSoft" brand.<ref name="Foundation"/><ref name="SquareNin"/><ref name="i8YtN"/> One of their third-party North American releases was the original ''[[Breath of Fire (video game)|Breath of Fire]]'' by Capcom, who were busy enough to outsource publishing and localization to Square.<ref name="SuperLive"/><ref name="GamasutraWoolsey"/> Many Square titles remained exclusive to Japan, for reasons including design complexities, low graphical quality, and technical difficulties.<ref name="SuperLive"/><ref name="Hollywood"/><ref name="RomancingLocalB"/> In the 1990s, Square's first six PlayStation releases were published by Sony as part of a contract between the two companies.<ref name="PolygonRetro"/> [[Eidos Interactive]] notably handled the Windows ports of ''Final Fantasy VII'' and ''[[Final Fantasy VIII]]''.<ref name="SQEAOwnership"/><ref name="SquareEUfaq"/> In Europe, Square's local branch self-published a number of games including mainline ''Final Fantasy'' titles.<ref name="SquareEUlist"/> It also partnered with third-party companies including Eidos, [[Crave Entertainment]], and [[Infogrames]] for either publishing or distribution of different titles.<ref name="SquareEUfaq"/><ref name="Infogrames"/><ref name="SonySquareEU"/> |
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⚫ | A publishing brand called Aques was established by Square in 1996. |
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⚫ | In 1989, Square established SquareSoft in [[Redmond, Washington]], to provide development and publishing support in the West. As Square moved its projects to PlayStation in 1994, SquareSoft moved to Marina del Rey, California, while changing its name twice in one year, to Square LA followed by Square USA.<ref name="Foundation"/><ref name="PolygonRetro"/><ref name="SquareInfo1998"/> Square USA would notably develop ''Secret of Evermore''.<ref name="Evermore"/> In 1997, a second Square USA branch was opened in [[Honolulu]], [[Hawaii]] to focus on new interactive entertainment research,<ref name="SquareHawaiiStart"/> going on to help with CGI development on ''Parasite Eve'' and ''Final Fantasy IX''.<ref name="HawaiiCG"/> Square Europe was founded in 1998 in [[London]], England, focusing on publishing in Europe.<ref name="Foundation"/><ref name="SquareInfo1998"/> |
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⚫ | A publishing brand called Aques was established by Square in 1996. The name was an anagram of Square's name, as well as an acronym for "Advanced QUality Entertainment and Sports", representing the company's diversification outside of role-playing games.<ref name="Aques" /> That same year, Square established a distribution company called [[DigiCube]], with convenience stores as their main strategy.<ref name="Foundation" /><ref name="cost" /> The subdidiary expanded into book publishing, stocked games from other companies, and at one point published games under its own brand.<ref name="DigiVending" /><ref name="GSjp" /><ref name="offerings" /> DigiCube survived the Square Enix merger, though it declared bankruptcy in 2004 after years of declining sales.<ref name="SQEXreport" /><ref name="cost" /> |
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In 1999, Square created a number of subsidiaries with dedicated roles: [[Square Enix Image Studio Division|Square Visual Works]] to focus on producing CGI animation, Square Sounds for music and sound effects, Squartz for quality control and user support, and Square Next to support smaller game projects.<ref name="Foundation" /><ref name="SquareInfo1998" /> Following the success of ''Final Fantasy VII'' in 1997, Sakaguchi founded a dedicated CGI film studio called Square Pictures in Hawaii; his aim was to both develop ''The Spirits Within'' and help with further development of Square's CGI technology.<ref name="PolygonRetro" /><ref name="KZ6TV" /> By the end of 2001, Square Pictures was dissolved and merged into Visual Works.<ref name="SQEXreport" /> Square USA's Hawaiian branch developed the CGI short "Final Flight of the Osiris" that later formed part of the 2003 anthology film ''[[The Animatrix]]'' |
In 1999, Square created a number of subsidiaries with dedicated roles: [[Square Enix Image Studio Division|Square Visual Works]] to focus on producing CGI animation, Square Sounds for music and sound effects, Squartz for quality control and user support, and Square Next to support smaller game projects.<ref name="Foundation" /><ref name="SquareInfo1998" /> Following the success of ''Final Fantasy VII'' in 1997, Sakaguchi founded a dedicated CGI film studio called Square Pictures in Hawaii; his aim was to both develop ''The Spirits Within'' and help with further development of Square's CGI technology.<ref name="PolygonRetro" /><ref name="KZ6TV" /> By the end of 2001, Square Pictures was dissolved and merged into Visual Works.<ref name="SQEXreport" /> Square USA's Hawaiian branch developed the CGI short "Final Flight of the Osiris" that later formed part of the 2003 anthology film ''[[The Animatrix]]''.<ref name="FlightInterview"/> The branch was shut down in 2002 following a failed attempt to find a film studio partner.<ref name="SquareHawaiiEnd"/> |
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In 2002, Square Next was rebranded as The Game Designer Studio, with ownership between Square's Product Development Division 2 and Kawazu. The aim was to allow for development of games for Nintendo consoles without impacting production on Sony platform games.<ref name="developer" /><ref name="studios" /><ref name="NextChange" /> The Game Designers Studio was absorbed back into Square Enix after the completion of ''Crystal Chronicles'', first renamed to SQEX Corporation and eventually dissolved entirely in 2010.<ref name="CCsqex" /><ref name="third company" /><ref name="FourthCompany" /> Square Sounds was dissolved into the main company in March 2002 as an internal division, a move attributed to cost cutting.<ref name="SoundsGone" /> All the other subsidiaries were folded into Square Enix during the merger, with Visual Works becoming its own dedicated department.<ref name="SQEXreport" /> |
In 2002, Square Next was rebranded as The Game Designer Studio, with ownership between Square's Product Development Division 2 and Kawazu. The aim was to allow for development of games for Nintendo consoles without impacting production on Sony platform games.<ref name="developer" /><ref name="studios" /><ref name="NextChange" /> The Game Designers Studio was absorbed back into Square Enix after the completion of ''Crystal Chronicles'', first renamed to SQEX Corporation and eventually dissolved entirely in 2010.<ref name="CCsqex" /><ref name="third company" /><ref name="FourthCompany" /> Square Sounds was dissolved into the main company in March 2002 as an internal division, a move attributed to cost cutting.<ref name="SoundsGone" /> All the other subsidiaries were folded into Square Enix during the merger, with Visual Works becoming its own dedicated department.<ref name="SQEXreport" /> |
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On May 1, 1998, Square formed a |
On May 1, 1998, Square formed a [[joint-venture]] partnership with [[Electronic Arts]]; Square Electronic Arts published Square titles in North America, while Electronic Arts Square published Electronic Arts titles in Japan.<ref name="Foundation"/><ref name="GWIeas"/> The partnership emerged the year following Electronic Arts winding down a [[Electronic Arts Victor|similar partnership]] with [[JVC|Victor]] in December 1997.<ref name="EAreport"/> Shares were distributed between the two on a 70/30 basis relating to their role; Square Electronic Arts had Square owning 70%, while Electronic Arts owned 30%.<ref name="SQEAOwnership"/> Electronic Arts Square would also develop the [[PlayStation 2]] launch title ''[[X-Squad]]''.<ref name="EAxsquad"/> In March 2003, coinciding with the Square Enix merger, both ventures were dissolved, with each partner buying the other's shares. In its February press release, Square described the joint-venture as a success.<ref name="EASdissolved"/> The Square side of the venture was rebranded under the Square Enix name.<ref name="SQEXreport"/> |
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===Affiliates and acquisitions=== |
===Affiliates and acquisitions=== |
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Between 1986 and 1988, Square led a collective of game developers dedicated to the production of games for the Famicom Disk System. The Square-owned label, called Disk Original Group (DOG), included Square, [[HummingBirdSoft]], [[System Sacom]], [[Microcabin]], |
Between 1986 and 1988, Square led a collective of game developers dedicated to the production of games for the Famicom Disk System. The Square-owned label, called [[Disk Original Group]] (DOG), included Square, [[HummingBirdSoft]], [[System Sacom]], [[Microcabin]], Carry Lab, [[Thinking Rabbit]], and [[Xtalsoft]]. This coalition was able to pool financial resources, allowing them to overcome the prohibitive costs of acting individually.<ref name="RetroDisk"/><ref name="SquareHistoryShmup"/><ref name="DOGconfirm"/> The Famicom Disk System was rendered defunct by 1988 due to increased storage capacity in standard Famicom ROM cartridges.<ref name="DOGconfirm"/> In January 1994, Square acquired developer Cobra Team, turning it into a subsidiary called Solid and focusing their work on cooperating with external developers.<ref name="Foundation" /><ref name="SolidReport" /> In 1995, Square established DreamFactory as an affiliate studio, which developed fighting-based titles for the PlayStation and PS2. DreamFactory became an independent company in 2001 after Square transferred their shares.<ref name="DreamOrigin" /><ref name="SecureReport2001" /> Square later founded subsidiary Escape in March 1998 with staff from DreamFactory. It only produced ''[[Driving Emotion Type-S]]'' (2000) before being liquidated in 2003.<ref name="SQEXreport" /><ref name="IGNescape" /> |
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⚫ | The company held a stake in ''[[Bushido Blade (video game)|Bushido Blade]]'' developer [[Lightweight (company)|Lightweight]], founded in 1995.<ref name="LightweightA" /><ref name="LightweightD"/> It sold that stake to software company Forside in 1999.<ref name="LightweightB"/><ref name="LightweightC"/> ''Front Mission'' developers G-Craft had a close relationship with Square, who provided funds and production resources. Square bought out G-Craft and incorporated it in 1997 during production of ''Front Mission 2''.<ref name="dengeki2004" /> Other affiliates associated with Square between the early 1990s to 2000 were font company Kusanagi, and developers Positron and Luciola.<ref name="LightweightC"/><ref name="Subsidiaries"/> In 2002, ''Ogre Battle'' developer Quest Corporation withdrew from game development and was bought by Square. Absorbed and repurposed into a production division, their first project was ''[[Final Fantasy Tactics Advance]]'' (2003).<ref name="QuestSale" /><ref name="HobonichiAdvance" /><ref name="IGNadvance" /> |
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In 1995, Square helped establish DreamFactory as an affiliate studio, which developed fighting-based titles for the PlayStation and PS2. DreamFactory became an independent company in 2001 after Square transferred their shares.<ref name="DreamOrigin" /><ref name="SecureReport2001" /> A later subsidiary called Escape was established in March 1998 and featured staff from DreamFactory. It only produced ''[[Driving Emotion Type-S]]'' (2000) before being liquidated in 2003.<ref name="SQEXreport" /><ref name="IGNescape" /> The company held a stake in ''[[Bushido Blade (video game)|Bushido Blade]]'' developer [[Lightweight (company)|Lightweight]] until 1999, when it transferred its shares to software company Forside.<ref name="LightweightA" /><ref name="LightweightB" /><ref name="LightweightC"/> Other affiliates associated with Square until 2000 were font company Kusanagi, and developers Positron and Luciola.<ref name="LightweightC"/><ref name="Subsidiaries"/> |
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⚫ | Many Square employees went on to found notable development studios and other ventures.<ref name="ANNstudios"/><ref name="RPGFradical"/> Nishi founded [[Love-de-Lic]] in 1995, producing three games including ''[[Moon: Remix RPG Adventure]]''. Love-de-Lic staff went on to found other small studios including [[Skip Ltd.]] (''[[Chibi-Robo!]]''), and [[Punchline (company)|Punchline]] (''[[Rule of Rose]]'').<ref name="CubedNishi"/><ref name="NishiiUSG"/><ref name="Love1UP"/> Frustrated with Square's rigid hierarchy, Kikuta founded [[Sacnoth]] in 1997, which would become known for the ''[[Shadow Hearts]]'' series;<ref name="ANNstudios"/><ref name="RocketInterview"/> he left Sacnoth in 1999 following the release of his project ''[[Koudelka]]'' and founded the music label Nostrilia.<ref name="RocketInterview"/><ref name="SHint"/> Several ''Xenogears'' developers, including Takahashi and Tanaka, founded [[Monolith Soft]] in 1999 in order to pursue projects outside the ''Final Fantasy'' series, developing more games using the ''[[Xeno (series)|Xeno]]'' prefix.<ref name="ANNstudios"/><ref name="CreatorInterview"/> |
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Kameoka and other developers who worked on ''[[Legend of Mana]]'' (1999) founded [[1-Up Studio|Brownie Brown]] in 2000. Brownie Brown later worked with Square Enix on ''[[Sword of Mana]]'' (2003), a remake of ''Final Fantasy Adventure''.<ref name="IGNbrown"/><ref name="RETROseries"/> Also in 2000, Mizuno founded [[AlphaDream]], engaging Fujioka and going on to develop the ''[[Mario & Luigi]]'' series.<ref name="Fujioka"/><ref name="AlphaHG"/> Staff members from Square Pictures, including ''The Spirits Within'' co-director Motonori Sakakibara, established [[Sprite Animation Studios]] in 2002.<ref name="SAS"/><ref name="ICVsas"/> After his resignation from Square, Takechi founded music label [[Dreamusic]] in 2001 with Kazunaga Nitta.<ref name="TakechiInterviewA"/> Mitsuda founded the music studio Procyon in 2001 so he could work while maintaining his health.<ref name="GMOint"/> After stepping down as president in 2001, Sakaguchi experienced a period of low morale before returning to game development, founding [[Mistwalker]] in 2004.<ref name="SakaguchiGamer"/> The studio became known for the ''[[Blue Dragon (video game)|Blue Dragon]]'' and ''[[Terra Wars]]'' series, as well as stand-alone projects such as ''[[Lost Odyssey]]'' and ''[[The Last Story]]''.<ref name="EuroSakaguchi"/><ref name="ANNstudios"/><ref name="SakaguchiGamer"/> |
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==Legacy== |
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In a 2006 interview on the history of Square Enix, César A. Berardini of ''[[TeamXbox]]'' noted that many considered ''Final Fantasy VI'' to be one of the best RPGs and games of the 2D gaming era.<ref name="XboxRetro"/> In 1992, Nintendo's [[Shigeru Miyamoto]] noted the impact of ''Final Fantasy'' on [[Japanese role-playing games]], stating ''Final Fantasy''{{'s}} "interactive cinematic approach" with an emphasis on "presentation and graphics" was gradually becoming "the most common style" of Japanese RPG at the time.<ref name="MiyamotoFF"/> ''Makai Toushi SaGa'' was not only the first RPG developed for the Game Boy, but the first of Square's games to sell one million units.<ref name="RetroInfo"/> |
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The ''Final Fantasy'' series and several specific games within it have been credited for introducing and popularizing many concepts that are today widely used in console RPGs, both in story and gameplay.<ref name="GS-FFHistory-Main"/><ref name="FF-Retro-1"/><ref name="IGN-StateOfRPG"/> ''Final Fantasy VII'' for the PlayStation is attributed with boosting sales for the PlayStation console, and popularizing the RPG genre both for that platform and in general, after a prolonged lack of success outside Japan.<ref name="VIIpopularA"/><ref name="VIIpopularB"/> In a 2012 interview article with Sakaguchi, ''[[Eurogamer]]''{{'}}s Simon Parkin noted Square's legacy as being defined by the ''Final Fantasy'' series despite having developed multiple other notable series and games.<ref name="EuroSakaguchi"/> Several of its standalone releases including ''Parasite Eve'' and ''Vagrant Story'' have also remained popular and well-remembered since their release.<ref name="PolygonRetro"/><ref name="kawazu interview"/> |
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Nishi and a few others he knew founded several studios over the years including [[Love-de-Lic]] (''[[Moon: Remix RPG Adventure]]''), [[Skip Ltd.]] (''[[Chibi-Robo!]]''), and [[Punchline (company)|Punchline]] (''[[Rule of Rose]]'').<ref name="CubedNishi"/><ref name="NishiiUSG"/><ref name="Love1UP"/> Kameoka and other developers who worked on ''[[Legend of Mana]]'' (1999) founded [[1-Up Studio|Brownie Brown]] in 2000, and ended up working with Square Enix on the ''Mana'' series with ''[[Sword of Mana]]''.<ref name="IGNbrown"/><ref name="RETROseries"/> Mizuno founded developer [[AlphaDream]] in 2000, with Fujioka joining soon after; the company is best known for its work on the ''[[Mario & Luigi]]'' series.<ref name="Fujioka"/><ref name="AlphaHG"/> Staff members from Square Pictures, including ''The Spirits Within'' co-director Motonori Sakakibara, established [[Sprite Animation Studios]] in Hawaii in 2002.<ref name="SAS"/><ref name="ICVsas"/> |
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Sakaguchi, following a period of low morale after the failure of ''The Spirits Within'', decided to re-enter game development.<ref name="SakaguchiGamer"/> He founded [[Mistwalker]] in 2004, which has since produced series such as ''[[Blue Dragon (video game)|Blue Dragon]]'' and ''[[Terra Wars]]'' and standalone projects such as ''[[Lost Odyssey]]'' and ''[[The Last Story]]''.<ref name="EuroSakaguchi"/><ref name="ANNstudios"/><ref name="SakaguchiGamer"/> After his resignation from Square, Takechi founded music label [[Dreamusic]] with Kazunaga Nitta.<ref name="TakechiInterviewA"/> Mitsuda founded the music studio Procyon so he could work while maintaining his health.<ref name="GMOint"/> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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<ref name="SquareHistoryShmup">{{cite web|url=https://shmuplations.com/historyofsquare/|title=The History of Square – 1992 Developer Interview|website=Shmuplations|access-date=March 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181012023248/https://shmuplations.com/historyofsquare/|archive-date=October 12, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
<ref name="SquareHistoryShmup">{{cite web|url=https://shmuplations.com/historyofsquare/|title=The History of Square – 1992 Developer Interview|website=Shmuplations|access-date=March 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181012023248/https://shmuplations.com/historyofsquare/|archive-date=October 12, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
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<ref name="RetroDisk">{{cite magazine|title=Minority Report: Famicom Disk System|last=McFerran|first=Damien | date=September 9, 2016 | magazine=[[Retro Gamer]]| |
<ref name="RetroDisk">{{cite magazine|title=Minority Report: Famicom Disk System|last=McFerran|first=Damien | date=September 9, 2016 | magazine=[[Retro Gamer]]|pages=44–47| issue=120|page= | publisher=[[Imagine Publishing]]}}</ref> |
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<ref name="HirataEGM">{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/Electronic_Gaming_Monthly_63_October_1994_U/page/n177/mode/2up|title=Final Fantasy III|last=McFerran|first=Damien | date=October 1994|page=172| magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]| issue=63| publisher=EGM Media, LLC}}</ref> |
<ref name="HirataEGM">{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/Electronic_Gaming_Monthly_63_October_1994_U/page/n177/mode/2up|title=Final Fantasy III|last=McFerran|first=Damien | date=October 1994|page=172| magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]| issue=63| publisher=EGM Media, LLC}}</ref> |
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<ref name="SoukaigiBook">{{cite book|script-title=ja:ゲームの巨人語録―岡本吉起と12人のゲームクリエイター" |trans-title=Game Giant Words – Yoshiki Okamoto and 12 Game Creators |publisher=[[MediaWorks (publisher)|MediaWorks]]|isbn=4-8723-3907-X|language=ja|date=2000}}</ref> |
<ref name="SoukaigiBook">{{cite book|script-title=ja:ゲームの巨人語録―岡本吉起と12人のゲームクリエイター" |trans-title=Game Giant Words – Yoshiki Okamoto and 12 Game Creators |publisher=[[MediaWorks (publisher)|MediaWorks]]|isbn=4-8723-3907-X|language=ja|date=2000}}</ref> |
||
<ref name="SuperLive">{{cite magazine|last=West |first=Neil|title=Fantasy Quest|magazine=[[Super Play]]|publisher=[[Future Publishing]]|issue=23|date=September 1994|page=14–17}} [https://legendsoflocalization.com/interview-ted-woolsey-super-play-magazine-sep-1994/ Scans]</ref> |
<ref name="SuperLive">{{cite magazine|last=West |first=Neil|title=Fantasy Quest|magazine=[[Super Play]]|publisher=[[Future Publishing]]|issue=23|date=September 1994|page= |pages=14–17}} [https://legendsoflocalization.com/interview-ted-woolsey-super-play-magazine-sep-1994/ Scans] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220325171516/https://legendsoflocalization.com/interview-ted-woolsey-super-play-magazine-sep-1994/ |date=March 25, 2022 }}</ref> |
||
<ref name="GSupdate">{{cite web|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/square-eas-monthly-game-release-campaign/1100-2589045/|title=Square/EA's Monthly Game Release Campaign|author=Ahmed, Shahed|website=[[GameSpot]]|date=2000-06-15|access-date=2022-09-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040430205452/http://www.gamespot.com/ps/rpg/vagrantstory/news_2589045.html|archive-date=2004-04-30|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
<ref name="GSupdate">{{cite web|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/square-eas-monthly-game-release-campaign/1100-2589045/|title=Square/EA's Monthly Game Release Campaign|author=Ahmed, Shahed|website=[[GameSpot]]|date=2000-06-15|access-date=2022-09-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040430205452/http://www.gamespot.com/ps/rpg/vagrantstory/news_2589045.html|archive-date=2004-04-30|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
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<ref name="ICVsas">{{cite web|url=https://icv2.com/print/article/7235|title=Final Fantasy Helmer's Reel 'Gon'|website=[[ICv2]]|date=July 20, 2005|access-date=March 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220324163631/https://icv2.com/print/article/7235|archive-date=March 24, 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> |
<ref name="ICVsas">{{cite web|url=https://icv2.com/print/article/7235|title=Final Fantasy Helmer's Reel 'Gon'|website=[[ICv2]]|date=July 20, 2005|access-date=March 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220324163631/https://icv2.com/print/article/7235|archive-date=March 24, 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> |
||
<ref name="VIIpopularA">{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/tech/gaming/2006-08-29-dirge-of-cerberus_x.htm |title='Dirge of Cerberus' defies expectations, for better and worse |first=Alex |last=Kraus |newspaper=[[USA Today]] |date=August 30, 2006 |access-date=August 6, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629090116/http://www.usatoday.com/tech/gaming/2006-08-29-dirge-of-cerberus_x.htm |archive-date=June 29, 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> |
|||
<ref name="VIIpopularB">{{cite magazine |title=After Final Fantasy VII |magazine=[[Computer and Video Games]] |date=January 14, 1998 |issue=195 (February 1998) |pages=52–3 |url=https://archive.org/details/Computer_and_Video_Games_Issue_195_1998-02_EMAP_Images_GB/page/n51/mode/2up}}</ref> |
|||
<ref name="Hirata">{{cite magazine|script-title=ja:インタビュー: スクウェア |trans-title=Interview: Square | date=August 11, 2002 | magazine=[[Gemaga|Dorimaga]] | issue=17| pages=46–51 | publisher=[[SB Creative|SoftBank Creative]] | language=ja}}</ref> |
<ref name="Hirata">{{cite magazine|script-title=ja:インタビュー: スクウェア |trans-title=Interview: Square | date=August 11, 2002 | magazine=[[Gemaga|Dorimaga]] | issue=17| pages=46–51 | publisher=[[SB Creative|SoftBank Creative]] | language=ja}}</ref> |
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<ref name="RPGFradical">{{cite web|url=http://www.rpgfan.com/editorials/2003/09-29.html|title=Radical Subjects|website=RPGFan|first=Chris|last=Winkler|date=September 29, 2003|access-date=April 16, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031210101946/http://www.rpgfan.com/editorials/2003/09-29.html|archive-date=2003-12-10|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
<ref name="RPGFradical">{{cite web|url=http://www.rpgfan.com/editorials/2003/09-29.html|title=Radical Subjects|website=RPGFan|first=Chris|last=Winkler|date=September 29, 2003|access-date=April 16, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031210101946/http://www.rpgfan.com/editorials/2003/09-29.html|archive-date=2003-12-10|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
||
<ref name="KatoTrigger">{{cite magazine|script-title=ja:クロノ・トリガー 開発陣スペシャルトーク|trans-title=Chrono Trigger Development Team Special Talk|date=March 1995|magazine=[[Gamest]]|issue=86|pages= |
<ref name="KatoTrigger">{{cite magazine|script-title=ja:クロノ・トリガー 開発陣スペシャルトーク|trans-title=Chrono Trigger Development Team Special Talk|date=March 1995|magazine=[[Gamest]]|issue=86|pages=211–215|publisher=[[Shinseisha]]|language=ja}}</ref> |
||
<ref name="XIkato">{{cite web|url=https://we-are-vanadiel.finalfantasyxi.com/post/?id=313|script-title=ja:プロデューサーセッション -WE DISCUSS VANA’DIEL-第8回 加藤正人 パート4|trans-title=Producer Session -We Discuss Vana'diel- Vol.8 Masato Kato Part 4|language=ja|publisher=[[Square Enix]]|date=2022-03-23|access-date=2023-04-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220323141352/https://we-are-vanadiel.finalfantasyxi.com/post/?id=313|archive-date=2022-03-23|url-status=live}}</ref> |
<ref name="XIkato">{{cite web|url=https://we-are-vanadiel.finalfantasyxi.com/post/?id=313|script-title=ja:プロデューサーセッション -WE DISCUSS VANA’DIEL-第8回 加藤正人 パート4|trans-title=Producer Session -We Discuss Vana'diel- Vol.8 Masato Kato Part 4|language=ja|publisher=[[Square Enix]]|date=2022-03-23|access-date=2023-04-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220323141352/https://we-are-vanadiel.finalfantasyxi.com/post/?id=313|archive-date=2022-03-23|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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<ref name="XIrelease">{{cite web|url=https://dengekionline.com/data/news/2002/11/27/412782f43870ee03f3d54efd4b1950bc.html|script-title=ja:『FINALFANTASYXI』大規模なバージョンアップを実施。ゲームバランスも大きく変化|language=ja|website=[[ASCII Media Works|Dengeki Online]]|date=2002-11-27|access-date=2023-06-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230612131156/https://dengekionline.com/data/news/2002/11/27/412782f43870ee03f3d54efd4b1950bc.html|archive-date=2023-06-12|url-status=live}}</ref> |
<ref name="XIrelease">{{cite web|url=https://dengekionline.com/data/news/2002/11/27/412782f43870ee03f3d54efd4b1950bc.html|script-title=ja:『FINALFANTASYXI』大規模なバージョンアップを実施。ゲームバランスも大きく変化|language=ja|website=[[ASCII Media Works|Dengeki Online]]|date=2002-11-27|access-date=2023-06-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230612131156/https://dengekionline.com/data/news/2002/11/27/412782f43870ee03f3d54efd4b1950bc.html|archive-date=2023-06-12|url-status=live}}</ref> |
||
<ref name="DreamOrigin">{{cite web|url=http://www.drf.co.jp/cindex.html|script-title=ja:会社概要|language=ja |trans-title=Company Profile |website=[[DreamFactory]]|access-date=March 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010603041644/http://www.drf.co.jp/cindex.html|archive-date=June 3, 2001|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
<ref name="DreamOrigin">{{cite web|url=http://www.drf.co.jp/cindex.html|script-title=ja:会社概要|language=ja |trans-title=Company Profile |website=[[DreamFactory (Japanese company)|DreamFactory]]|access-date=March 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010603041644/http://www.drf.co.jp/cindex.html|archive-date=June 3, 2001|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
||
<ref name="SecureReport2001">{{cite web|url=https://ssl4.eir-parts.net/doc/9684/ir_material_for_fiscal_ym1/68569/00.pdf|script-title=ja:2001(平成13)年3月期 有価証券報告書 (旧株式会社スクウェア)|language=ja |trans-title=Securities Report for the Fiscal Year Ended March 2001 (formerly Square Co., Ltd.) |website=[[Square Enix]]|date=2001|access-date=March 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220325121830/https://ssl4.eir-parts.net/doc/9684/ir_material_for_fiscal_ym1/68569/00.pdf|archive-date=March 25, 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> |
<ref name="SecureReport2001">{{cite web|url=https://ssl4.eir-parts.net/doc/9684/ir_material_for_fiscal_ym1/68569/00.pdf|script-title=ja:2001(平成13)年3月期 有価証券報告書 (旧株式会社スクウェア)|language=ja |trans-title=Securities Report for the Fiscal Year Ended March 2001 (formerly Square Co., Ltd.) |website=[[Square Enix]]|date=2001|access-date=March 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220325121830/https://ssl4.eir-parts.net/doc/9684/ir_material_for_fiscal_ym1/68569/00.pdf|archive-date=March 25, 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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<ref name="GWIeas">{{cite web|url=https://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/20030219/ea.htm|script-title=ja:米Electronic Arts、スクウェアと合弁事業解消 EAスクウェアからエレクトロニック・アーツへ|trans-title=Electronic Arts and Square dissolve joint venture EA Square becomes Electronic Arts|language=ja|website=Game Watch Impress|date=2003-02-19|access-date=2022-12-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091106005130/https://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/20030219/ea.htm|archive-date=2009-11-06|url-status=live}}</ref> |
<ref name="GWIeas">{{cite web|url=https://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/20030219/ea.htm|script-title=ja:米Electronic Arts、スクウェアと合弁事業解消 EAスクウェアからエレクトロニック・アーツへ|trans-title=Electronic Arts and Square dissolve joint venture EA Square becomes Electronic Arts|language=ja|website=Game Watch Impress|date=2003-02-19|access-date=2022-12-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091106005130/https://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/20030219/ea.htm|archive-date=2009-11-06|url-status=live}}</ref> |
||
<ref name="EAxsquad">{{cite web|url=https://www.japan.ea.com/xfire/feature.html|script-title=ja:X-Fire|language=ja|publisher=Electronic Arts Square|access-date=April 21, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20001002013700/www.japan.ea.com/xfire/feature.html|archive-date=October 2, 2000|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
<ref name="EAxsquad">{{cite web|url=https://www.japan.ea.com/xfire/feature.html|script-title=ja:X-Fire|language=ja|publisher=Electronic Arts Square|access-date=April 21, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20001002013700/http://www.japan.ea.com/xfire/feature.html|archive-date=October 2, 2000|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
||
<ref name="EAreport">{{cite web|url=https://s22.q4cdn.com/894350492/files/doc_financials/annual/1999/1999_Annual_Report.pdf|title=Electronic Arts Annual Report 1999|pages=13–14|publisher=[[Electronic Arts]]|date=1999|access-date=2022-12-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221226221152/https://s22.q4cdn.com/894350492/files/doc_financials/annual/1999/1999_Annual_Report.pdf|archive-date=2022-12- |
<ref name="EAreport">{{cite web|url=https://s22.q4cdn.com/894350492/files/doc_financials/annual/1999/1999_Annual_Report.pdf|title=Electronic Arts Annual Report 1999|pages=13–14|publisher=[[Electronic Arts]]|date=1999|access-date=2022-12-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221226221152/https://s22.q4cdn.com/894350492/files/doc_financials/annual/1999/1999_Annual_Report.pdf|archive-date=2022-12-26|url-status=live}}</ref> |
||
<ref name="SQEAOwnership">{{cite web|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/square-and-ea-join-forces/1100-2463604/|title=Square and EA Join Forces|author=Johnston, Clive|website=[[GameSpot]]|date=2000-04-28|access-date=2023-04-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200514152717/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/square-and-ea-join-forces/1100-2463604/|archive-date=2020-05-14|url-status=live}}</ref> |
<ref name="SQEAOwnership">{{cite web|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/square-and-ea-join-forces/1100-2463604/|title=Square and EA Join Forces|author=Johnston, Clive|website=[[GameSpot]]|date=2000-04-28|access-date=2023-04-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200514152717/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/square-and-ea-join-forces/1100-2463604/|archive-date=2020-05-14|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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<ref name="LightweightC">{{cite book|script-title=ja:有価証券報告書 1999(平成11)年3月期 |trans-title=Securities Report Fiscal Year Ended March 1999|publisher=Square|language=ja|date=March 1999}}</ref> |
<ref name="LightweightC">{{cite book|script-title=ja:有価証券報告書 1999(平成11)年3月期 |trans-title=Securities Report Fiscal Year Ended March 1999|publisher=Square|language=ja|date=March 1999}}</ref> |
||
<ref name="LightweightD">{{cite web|url=http://www.lightweight.co.jp/html/lw.htm|script-title=ja:会社概要|language=ja|publisher=[[Lightweight (company)|Lightweight]]|access-date=2023-06-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000520030236/http://www.lightweight.co.jp/html/lw.htm|archive-date=2000-05-20|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
|||
<ref name="Subsidiaries">{{cite book|script-title=ja:有価証券報告書 2000(平成12)年3月期|trans-title=Securities Report Fiscal Year Ended March 1999|publisher=Square|language=ja|date=March 2000}}</ref> |
<ref name="Subsidiaries">{{cite book|script-title=ja:有価証券報告書 2000(平成12)年3月期|trans-title=Securities Report Fiscal Year Ended March 1999|publisher=Square|language=ja|date=March 2000}}</ref> |
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<ref name="CreatorInterview">{{cite web|url=http://www.playstation.jp/psstyle/talk/02/01.html|title=Creator's Talk - Tetsuya Takahashi|language=ja|publisher=[[Sony]]|date=2002|access-date=December 20, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050205173819/http://www.playstation.jp/psstyle/talk/02/01.html |archive-date=February 5, 2005|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
<ref name="CreatorInterview">{{cite web|url=http://www.playstation.jp/psstyle/talk/02/01.html|title=Creator's Talk - Tetsuya Takahashi|language=ja|publisher=[[Sony]]|date=2002|access-date=December 20, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050205173819/http://www.playstation.jp/psstyle/talk/02/01.html |archive-date=February 5, 2005|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
||
<ref name="MiyamotoFF">{{cite magazine |title=The Future of RPGs – Developer Interviews |magazine=The Super Famicom |date=November 27, 1992 |volume=3 |issue=22 |pages=89–97 |lang=ja |url= https://shmuplations.com/futureofrpgs/|access-date=October 14, 2021}}</ref> |
|||
<ref name="GS-FFHistory-Main">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/vgs/universal/finalfantasy_hs/sec1.html |title=The Main Final Fantasies {{!}} The History of Final Fantasy |website=[[GameSpot]] |first=Andrew |last=Vestal |access-date=August 2, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120708141802/http://www.gamespot.com/features/vgs/universal/finalfantasy_hs/sec1.html |archive-date=July 8, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> |
|||
<ref name="FF-Retro-1">{{cite AV media |date=July 15, 2007 |title=GT Retrospectives: Final Fantasy Retrospective – Part I |medium=Video |publisher=[[GameTrailers]]}}</ref> |
|||
<ref name="IGN-StateOfRPG">{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2005/07/19/state-of-the-rpg-gamecube |title=State of the RPG: GameCube |first=Matt |last=Casamassina |website=[[IGN]] |date=July 19, 2005 |access-date=August 4, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810173031/http://cube.ign.com/articles/634/634965p1.html |archive-date=August 10, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> |
|||
<ref name="kawazu interview">{{cite web |url=http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3163528 |title=Square Enix Talks about the Ivalice Alliance |last=Mielke |first=James |work=[[1Up.com]] |access-date=July 4, 2008 |date=September 10, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012102914/http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3163528 |archive-date=October 12, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> |
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}} |
}} |
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==Further reading== |
==Further reading== |
||
{{Cite web |last=Chun, Michelle |date=March 18, 2002 |title=SquareSoft: What's Behind the Hype? A Case History |url=http://www.stanford.edu/group/htgg/cgi-bin/drupal/sites/default/files2/mchun_2002_1.pdf |access-date=September 2, 2011 |publisher=[[Stanford University]] |archive-date=November 20, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121120195700/http://www.stanford.edu/group/htgg/cgi-bin/drupal/sites/default/files2/mchun_2002_1.pdf |url-status=dead }} |
*{{Cite web |last=Chun, Michelle |date=March 18, 2002 |title=SquareSoft: What's Behind the Hype? A Case History |url=http://www.stanford.edu/group/htgg/cgi-bin/drupal/sites/default/files2/mchun_2002_1.pdf |access-date=September 2, 2011 |publisher=[[Stanford University]] |archive-date=November 20, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121120195700/http://www.stanford.edu/group/htgg/cgi-bin/drupal/sites/default/files2/mchun_2002_1.pdf |url-status=dead }} |
||
==External links== |
==External links== |
Revision as of 21:43, 18 June 2024
Company type | Kabushiki gaisha |
---|---|
Industry | Video games |
Founded | September 1986[1][a] |
Founder | Masafumi Miyamoto |
Defunct | April 1, 2003 |
Fate | Merged with Enix |
Successor | Square Enix |
Headquarters | Meguro, Tokyo, Japan |
Key people | Tomoyuki Takechi, Chairman Hironobu Sakaguchi, EVP (1991–2001) Hisashi Suzuki, President and CEO (1995–2001) Yoichi Wada, CFO (2000–2001), President (2001–2003) |
Products | See complete products listing |
Number of employees | 888 (September 2002) |
Subsidiaries | See subsidiaries |
Website | www.square.co.jp |
Footnotes / references [3] |
Square Co., Ltd.[b] (also known under its international brand name SquareSoft) was a Japanese video game development studio and publisher. It was founded in 1986 by Masafumi Miyamoto, who spun off part of his father's electronics company Den-Yu-Sha. Among its early employees were designers Hironobu Sakaguchi, Hiromichi Tanaka, Akitoshi Kawazu and Koichi Ishii, artist Kazuko Shibuya, programmer Nasir Gebelli, and composer Nobuo Uematsu. Initially focusing on action games, the team saw popular success with Final Fantasy in 1987. A role-playing video game, it became the first in a franchise of the same name. Later notable staff included directors Yoshinori Kitase and Takashi Tokita, designer and writer Yasumi Matsuno, artists Tetsuya Nomura and Yusuke Naora, and composers Yoko Shimomura and Masashi Hamauzu.
Initially developing for PCs, then exclusively for Nintendo systems, Square broke with Nintendo in the 1990s to develop for Sony's in-development PlayStation. Their first PlayStation project, Final Fantasy VII, was a worldwide critical and commercial success, attributed with boosting the popularity of its genre and platform. Alongside the Final Fantasy series, the company developed and published several other notable series, including SaGa, Mana, Front Mission, Chrono, and Kingdom Hearts. Over the years, many staff left to found studios such as Monolith Soft (Xeno), Sacnoth (Shadow Hearts), Mistwalker (Terra Battle), and AlphaDream (Mario & Luigi).
In 2001, the company saw financial troubles due to the commercial failure of the feature film Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, which ultimately led Sakaguchi, the creator of Final Fantasy, to withdraw from active game production and leave the company in 2003. The film's failure disrupted merger discussions with Enix, publisher of the Dragon Quest series. Following the success of Final Fantasy X and Kingdom Hearts, negotiations resumed and the merger went ahead on April 1, 2003.
History
Origins
Square was initially established in September 1983 as a software subsidiary of Den-Yu-Sha, an electric power conglomerate led by Kuniichi Miyamoto.[1][4] His son Masafumi Miyamoto, then a part-time employee of the Science and Technology Department at Keio University, had little interest in following his father into the electricity business.[4][5] Miyamoto instead became a software developer at the Yokohama branch of Den-Yu-Sha in Hiyoshi, with a focus on the emerging video game market.[4][6] Their original offices were based in a former hairdresser's salon.[5] The company's name referred to a golfing term, and represented its aim to face challenges head-on. It also referenced a town square, emphasizing a production environment based on cooperation.[7]
At the time, video games in Japan were usually created by a single programmer. Miyamoto, on the other hand, believed that graphic designers, programmers, and professional story writers would be needed to keep up with advances in computing and video game development.[6] During these early years, the group was compared to a family business; one of the early hires, Shinichiro Kajitani, joined because he was a friend of Miyamoto, and later compared the company at that time to a "college club".[8] To recruit for this new organizational structure, Miyamoto organized a salon in Yokohama and offered jobs to those who demonstrated exceptional programming skills.[4] This led to the part-time hiring of university students Hironobu Sakaguchi and Hiromichi Tanaka, as well as Hisashi Suzuki, who would go on to become Square's CEO.[4][5] Miyamoto's initial plan was to recruit from Keio University, but this never materialized.[5]
1985–1987: First games, Final Fantasy
Square's first attempt at a game was an adaptation of the television game show Torin-ingen. As Miyamoto had not secured the license to adapt it, the show's producers forced Square to cancel the game, prompting its team to be reshuffled.[5] Square's first completed game was The Death Trap (1984) for NEC PC-8801, a text adventure set in a war-torn African nation. The Death Trap was the first game published under the Square brand.[9][10] Its sequel, Will: The Death Trap II, was released the following year to commercial success.[6] Many of Square's early titles were produced for PC devices, and focused on the action genre.[11][12]
In 1985, the company negotiated a licensing agreement with Nintendo to develop titles for the Famicom (Nintendo Entertainment System).[9] The company shifted to developing for the Famicom to benefit from its stable hardware, compared to the constantly changing components of PCs.[13] Square's first Famicom release was a port of the run and gun game Thexder (1985), and its first original game was the scrolling shooter King's Knight (1986).[6][11] During this period, the team also hired new developers Akitoshi Kawazu and Koichi Ishii, artist Kazuko Shibuya, Iranian-American programmer Nasir Gebelli, and composer Nobuo Uematsu.[5][14][15][16] Yusuke Hirata joined that year as sales manager, and later became the company's publicity manager.[17][18]
In April 1986, Square moved into new offices based in Ginza, noted as one of the most expensive areas for companies to operate; Sakaguchi later speculated Miyamoto was hoping to attract business by appearing affluent.[1][5] Square was re-established as an independent developer in September of that year with capital of ¥10 million, buying the original Square gaming division from Den-Yu-Sha in December.[1] Sakaguchi was appointed as a Director of Planning and Development,[19] and Hisashi Suzuki became one of the company's directors.[20] Due to the high cost of Ginza rents, the company was forced to move into smaller offices in Okachimachi, Taitō.[1][5] Square began struggling financially following multiple commercial failures for Nintendo's Famicom Disk System peripheral.[5][21] Miyamoto asked the company's four directors for game proposals, with plans to have their staff vote on the best idea. Sakaguchi proposed making a role-playing video game (RPG), believing it to be a viable project after the success of Enix's Dragon Quest (1986).[5]
While skeptical, Miyamoto allowed production of the RPG on the condition it only had a five-person team. Sakaguchi led development, bringing in Gebelli, Kawazu, Ishii, and Uematsu.[5] Production of the game, eventually called Final Fantasy, proceeded in "fits and starts". Sakaguchi eventually received help from the other team at Square led by Tanaka, which included Shibuya and newcomer debugger Hiroyuki Ito.[16][22][23] Production on the game lasted roughly ten months. While shipments of 200,000 units were planned, Sakaguchi persuaded Square to double that number.[5][16] Final Fantasy was released in 1987 to commercial success, selling over 400,000 copies in Japan.[16] It saw greater sales success in North American when it was released in 1989, selling 700,000 copies.[24] Two other Japanese successes from 1987 were Rad Racer and The 3-D Battles of WorldRunner.[25]
1987–1995: Expansion and notable staff
The success of Final Fantasy prompted development of Final Fantasy II (1988), which established many of the series recurring elements. This and four more Final Fantasy titles would appear on the Famicom and Super Nintendo Entertainment System (Super Famicom), culminating in Final Fantasy VI (1994). These were among a string of projects that Square produced exclusively for Nintendo consoles, including the portable Game Boy.[5][8] In 1990, Square moved its offices to the Akasaka district, and then to Ebisu, Shibuya in 1992.[9] In April 1991, Square merged with an identically-named dormant company in order to change its share prices. As a result of the merger, Square's foundation was backdated to the other company's July 1966 founding date.[1]
At that time, Square drew some of its development funding from loans from Shikoku Bank. Due to increasing development costs, the bank sent Tomoyuki Takechi on secondment to be their office manager in 1990. Takechi's secondment lasted until 1994, by which time Square had annual sales worth ¥16 million per year.[26][27] In August of that year, Square registered with the Japan Securities Dealers Association to offer shares for public purchase.[7] Sakaguchi was by now a prominent figure within the company, and was promoted to Executive President in 1991.[28][19] His increasing corporate involvement lessened his creative input, prompting him to give greater influence to other staff.[29] Gebelli left Square in 1993, retiring on royalties from the Final Fantasy series.[5][25] Miyamoto stepped down as Square's President in 1991 while remaining a major shareholder, and was replaced by Tetsuo Mizuno.[30][31] In 1991, Suzuki became Vice President.[20]
As Final Fantasy became a featured property for the company, Square produced additional projects that became successful series of their own.[28] The Japan-exclusive real-time strategy series Hanjuku Hero, which began in 1988, parodied conventions of the RPG genre.[32][33] Kawazu helmed an RPG project for the Game Boy. Released in 1989, Makai Toushi SaGa (The Final Fantasy Legend) spawned the SaGa series, which Kawazu would continue to be involved over the years.[34][35] After the release of Final Fantasy III (1990), Ishii was offered the chance to create his own game, leading to the production of Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden (Final Fantasy Adventure) for the Game Boy in 1991. Ishii went on to develop additional Seiken Densetsu titles, released outside of Japan as the Mana series.[36][37] A famous game from the period was Chrono Trigger, born from a collaboration between Sakaguchi, Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii, and Dragon Ball artist Akira Toriyama.[38][39] Among other standalone titles were the Western-exclusive Secret of Evermore,[40] and the Mario-themed Super Mario RPG co-produced with Nintendo.[41] Reflecting on this period, Sakaguchi noted that Final Fantasy was the company's most recognized property, while celebrating the fact that the company would still be profitable on the merits of their other successful game series.[42]
Additional staff joined Square by the early 1990s, inspired by the successful Final Fantasy series, with several first working on Final Fantasy IV (1991),[43][44] Yoshinori Kitase acted as a writer and later director,[45] artist Tetsuya Nomura began as a graphic designer,[46] and Tetsuya Takahashi and Kaori Tanaka were both artists and writers.[47][48] Takashi Tokita became a full-time employee at the company,[49][50] and Hiroyuki Ito began his work as a game designer.[23][51] Chihiro Fujioka worked on several projects including co-directing Super Mario RPG.[52] Kenichi Nishi worked in minor roles on Chrono Trigger and Super Mario RPG.[53] Masato Kato, who joined in 1993, became scenario writer for Chrono Trigger.[54][55] Artist Yusuke Naora first worked on Final Fantasy VI.[8][56] Kazushige Nojima, known for his work on the Glory of Heracles series, joined as a scenario writer.[57] Future director Motomu Toriyama, who had no experience with game development, began as a scenario writer.[58]
Square also hired additional music staff.[39][59] Kenji Ito contributed to both the SaGa and Mana series.[60][61] Hiroki Kikuta worked on the Mana series and standalone projects.[59] Yasunori Mitsuda started as a sound designer and was lauded for his work on the Chrono series.[39] Yoko Shimomura, formerly a Capcom composer, did her first work on Live A Live (1994).[62] In 1995, Square moved its headquarters to the Shimomeguro district in Meguro.[9]
1995–1999: Move to PlayStation
Following the release of Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger, Square staff began planning the next entry in the Final Fantasy series, and entered the emerging 3D gaming market. With the production of Final Fantasy VII, Square decided to shift their projects to Sony's new PlayStation console, prompted by the affordability of CD-ROM distribution, compared to Nintendo's continued use of expensive cartridges.[63] This shift caused a long-standing rift between Square and Nintendo; one Square employee recalled Nintendo telling the company to "never come back".[8] In 1996, Square's final project with Nintendo was Sting Entertainment's Treasure Hunter G for the Super Famicom, while the company debuted DreamFactory's Tobal No. 1 for the PlayStation that same year.[9][64] Soon after, the company signed a licensing agreement with Sony, who gained the exclusive right to publish Square's next six games in the West.[8][9]
Square continued work on Final Fantasy VII, with Kitase as director, Naora as art director, Nomura as a lead artist, and Nojima as scenario writer. Released worldwide in 1997, Final Fantasy VII was a worldwide commercial and critical success, bringing Square international fame.[8] Also in 1997, at Square's invitation, Takechi returned and took Mizuno's place as President.[27] Three new hires during the period were Shinji Hashimoto, Yasumi Matsuno, and Masashi Hamauzu.[65][66] Hashimoto joined in 1995 as promotions producer for Final Fantasy VII.[65] Matsuno, along with a number of other developers, had left Quest Corporation following the release of Tactics Ogre (1995), and worked with Sakaguchi on Final Fantasy Tactics (1997).[66][67] Hamauzu joined in 1996, and worked on Final Fantasy spin-off titles and the SaGa series.[68] Sakaguchi, working on other projects, took on the role of executive producer for the series beginning with Final Fantasy VIII, and Hashimoto stepped in as producer.[8][29] Hirata went from an administrative position to lead producer, focusing on diversifying Square's library into new game genres.[17]
Several properties were introduced during this period.[8] These included Parasite Eve, based on a novel of the same name by Hideaki Sena;[69][70] Front Mission, which began on the Super Famicom but was transferred to the PlayStation beginning with its second entry;[71] and the Final Fantasy spin-off series Chocobo, starring an incarnation of the titular mascot character.[72] As Square was estranged from Nintendo,[8] the company supported other platforms including the WonderSwan and Windows.[7][73] Late in the PlayStation's lifecycle, Square continued to support the console with multiple releases, such as Threads of Fate (1999) and Vagrant Story (2000).[74] The company also began work on PlayOnline, a digital storefront and a platform for online game services and web content.[75][76]
During the late 1990s, Square launched an initiative to give teams of younger staff members a chance to create experimental titles on smaller budgets. Among such titles were Xenogears, Soukaigi, and Another Mind.[77] Around this time, several staff members departed Square due to creative differences or a desire to work on their own projects.[78] These included Takahashi and Tanaka,[78] Fujioka,[52] Nishi,[79] Kikuta,[59] Mitsuda,[80] and Mana artist Shinichi Kameoka.[81] In April 2000, Suzuki was appointed Square's new President, while Takechi became a company chairman. Also at this time, two outside directors were appointed, Kenichi Ohmae of Ohmae & Associates and Makoto Naruke of Microsoft. The corporate reshuffle was intended to strengthen Square's overseas connections and bring in technical and administrative support for future digital and online content.[20] Alongside this, Yoichi Wada joined the company as a company director and eventually COO.[82] In August 2000, Square was listed on Tokyo Stock Exchange's first section, which includes the largest companies on the exchange.[7][83]
2000–2003: The Spirits Within, final years
In addition to leading production on Final Fantasy IX (2000), Sakaguchi also worked at the 1997-established Square Pictures studio on a Final Fantasy feature film.[8][84] Called Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, it was planned as Sakaguchi's first push towards cross-media storytelling; however, the project ran over budget and ended up costing Square and co-producer Columbia Pictures US$137 million.[28][85] Upon its release in 2001, The Spirits Within was met with mixed critical reception, and grossed only $85 million. Labeled as a box-office bomb, the film damaged Square's finances, and led to the closure of Square Pictures.[8]
Following both the failure of The Spirits Within and a delay to Final Fantasy X (2001) for the PlayStation 2, Square suffered a financial loss for the first time, prompting Sakaguchi, Takechi, and director Masatsugu Hiramatsu to resign from their positions.[8][86] Sakaguchi was kept on as executive producer for Final Fantasy, while Takechi and Hiramatsu were retained as external consultants.[86] This period left Sakaguchi in a state of low morale.[87] In late 2001, Suzuki stepped down as President, and was replaced by Wada.[88] Yosuke Matsuda became Senior Vice President.[82] Kenji Ito also left during this period to work as a freelance composer.[60] Prior to the film's release, rival company Enix was proposing merging with another game company to alleviate development costs, opening serious discussions with Square in 2000.[89][90] Square's financial losses with The Spirits Within prompted Enix to halt discussions.[90]
Under Wada, the company underwent restructuring with the intent of streamlining production and resources, and cutting development costs to increase profits.[91] After evaluation of its financial position, and with changes to the console war due to Microsoft's Xbox, Square opened talks with Nintendo for the first time since their breakup in the 1990s.[92][93] The talks were successful, with Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles beginning development for the GameCube in late 2001.[93][94] Square also began production on Final Fantasy X-2, the first direct sequel to a Final Fantasy game.[91][95][96] Final Fantasy X-2 was Sakaguchi's last credited project at Square, and he left the company in 2003.[97] Around this time, Square also began development on Kingdom Hearts (2002), with Nomura making his directorial debut. The game was a collaboration between Square and The Walt Disney Company, blending Disney characters with Final Fantasy elements in an original story.[98][99] Kingdom Hearts was Shimomura's last project as an in-house composer before going freelance in 2002.[100] Also released in 2002 was the Japanese version of Final Fantasy XI, the company's first MMORPG.[101][73] Conceived by Sakaguchi, it was developed by the Chrono team and led by Ishii.[73] Final Fantasy XI and its first expansion was Kato's last work for Square before leaving in 2002 to go freelance.[102]
Following the commercial success of Final Fantasy X and Kingdom Hearts, Square and Enix resumed talks and agreed to merge their two companies. Wada described it as a merger of two companies "at their height".[103] Despite this, the merger had its skeptics, particularly Miyamoto who did not want to see his controlling stake diluted in a merged company.[31] Miyamoto's issue was resolved by altering the exchange ratio to one Square share for 0.81 Enix shares, and the merger was greenlit.[104] Square Enix was formed on April 1, 2003, with Enix as the surviving corporate entity and Square dissolving its departments and subsidiaries into the new company.[104][105] Around 80% of Square's staff transitioned into Square Enix.[106] Square's last release was the Japanese version of X-2.[107]
Structure
Development structure
During reports on the merger with Enix, Takashi Oya of Deutsche Securities contrasted Enix's tradition of outsourcing development versus Square's approach to developing "everything by itself".[108] When Square was founded in the early 1980s, there was no set development structure, with the ten-person staff freely shifting between roles and projects. This eventually evolved into two loosely-defined production groups, led by Sakaguchi and Tanaka, respectively.[5] Following the release of Final Fantasy IV, Sakaguchi divided the production team, assigning different staff members to the Final Fantasy, SaGa and Mana series.[46] A secondary studio was founded in Osaka in 1990, with Final Fantasy Legend III (1991) as their first project.[109]
By 1997, the company was divided into eight development divisions, with two based in Osaka.[110] In 1998, the old development divisions were restructured into Production Departments, and the Osaka branch was closed down.[111] The system was reshuffled again in 2002 to promote "greater understanding", and allow for reassignment between divisions.[112] Among the heads of divisions at this time were Kitase, Kawazu, Tanaka, Matsuno and Hirata.[112] Following the merger with Enix, the eight divisions were incorporated into the new company, with two additional divisions brought in from Enix.[113]
Square initially did not have an internal localization department, instead outsourcing to a number of translators.[114] Following the release of Final Fantasy VII, which saw criticism for its localization, Square created an internal department to encourage higher quality.[115] Initially having only two employees, it grew steadily over the years.[116] Individual games still ran into difficulties due to their large text sizes, difficulties translating some culture-specific elements, potential censorship, and the introduction of voice acting with games including Final Fantasy X.[115][117][118] Notable localization staff included Kaoru Moriyama,[114] Ted Woolsey,[119] Michael Basket,[115] Richard Honeywood,[115] and Alexander O. Smith.[117]
Publishing and subsidiaries
While Square self-published the majority of its games in Japan,[1][4] by contrast their Western presence during the 80s and early 90s was small.[25] RPGs were not popular in the North American market at that time, and Square's presence in Europe was limited.[25][119] The original Final Fantasy was published in North America in 1990 by Nintendo of America near the end of the life cycle of the Nintendo Entertainment System, resulting in its two sequels being passed over for localization at that time.[120][121] After opening their North American offices, Square began publishing selected titles under the "SquareSoft" brand.[1][122][123] One of their third-party North American releases was the original Breath of Fire by Capcom, who were busy enough to outsource publishing and localization to Square.[119][124] Many Square titles remained exclusive to Japan, for reasons including design complexities, low graphical quality, and technical difficulties.[119][125][126] In the 1990s, Square's first six PlayStation releases were published by Sony as part of a contract between the two companies.[8] Eidos Interactive notably handled the Windows ports of Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII.[127][128] In Europe, Square's local branch self-published a number of games including mainline Final Fantasy titles.[129] It also partnered with third-party companies including Eidos, Crave Entertainment, and Infogrames for either publishing or distribution of different titles.[128][130][131]
In 1989, Square established SquareSoft in Redmond, Washington, to provide development and publishing support in the West. As Square moved its projects to PlayStation in 1994, SquareSoft moved to Marina del Rey, California, while changing its name twice in one year, to Square LA followed by Square USA.[1][8][9] Square USA would notably develop Secret of Evermore.[40] In 1997, a second Square USA branch was opened in Honolulu, Hawaii to focus on new interactive entertainment research,[132] going on to help with CGI development on Parasite Eve and Final Fantasy IX.[133] Square Europe was founded in 1998 in London, England, focusing on publishing in Europe.[1][9]
A publishing brand called Aques was established by Square in 1996. The name was an anagram of Square's name, as well as an acronym for "Advanced QUality Entertainment and Sports", representing the company's diversification outside of role-playing games.[134] That same year, Square established a distribution company called DigiCube, with convenience stores as their main strategy.[1][135] The subdidiary expanded into book publishing, stocked games from other companies, and at one point published games under its own brand.[136][137][138] DigiCube survived the Square Enix merger, though it declared bankruptcy in 2004 after years of declining sales.[139][135]
In 1999, Square created a number of subsidiaries with dedicated roles: Square Visual Works to focus on producing CGI animation, Square Sounds for music and sound effects, Squartz for quality control and user support, and Square Next to support smaller game projects.[1][9] Following the success of Final Fantasy VII in 1997, Sakaguchi founded a dedicated CGI film studio called Square Pictures in Hawaii; his aim was to both develop The Spirits Within and help with further development of Square's CGI technology.[8][84] By the end of 2001, Square Pictures was dissolved and merged into Visual Works.[139] Square USA's Hawaiian branch developed the CGI short "Final Flight of the Osiris" that later formed part of the 2003 anthology film The Animatrix.[140] The branch was shut down in 2002 following a failed attempt to find a film studio partner.[141]
In 2002, Square Next was rebranded as The Game Designer Studio, with ownership between Square's Product Development Division 2 and Kawazu. The aim was to allow for development of games for Nintendo consoles without impacting production on Sony platform games.[92][93][142] The Game Designers Studio was absorbed back into Square Enix after the completion of Crystal Chronicles, first renamed to SQEX Corporation and eventually dissolved entirely in 2010.[143][144][145] Square Sounds was dissolved into the main company in March 2002 as an internal division, a move attributed to cost cutting.[146] All the other subsidiaries were folded into Square Enix during the merger, with Visual Works becoming its own dedicated department.[139]
On May 1, 1998, Square formed a joint-venture partnership with Electronic Arts; Square Electronic Arts published Square titles in North America, while Electronic Arts Square published Electronic Arts titles in Japan.[1][147] The partnership emerged the year following Electronic Arts winding down a similar partnership with Victor in December 1997.[148] Shares were distributed between the two on a 70/30 basis relating to their role; Square Electronic Arts had Square owning 70%, while Electronic Arts owned 30%.[127] Electronic Arts Square would also develop the PlayStation 2 launch title X-Squad.[149] In March 2003, coinciding with the Square Enix merger, both ventures were dissolved, with each partner buying the other's shares. In its February press release, Square described the joint-venture as a success.[150] The Square side of the venture was rebranded under the Square Enix name.[139]
Affiliates and acquisitions
Between 1986 and 1988, Square led a collective of game developers dedicated to the production of games for the Famicom Disk System. The Square-owned label, called Disk Original Group (DOG), included Square, HummingBirdSoft, System Sacom, Microcabin, Carry Lab, Thinking Rabbit, and Xtalsoft. This coalition was able to pool financial resources, allowing them to overcome the prohibitive costs of acting individually.[21][151][152] The Famicom Disk System was rendered defunct by 1988 due to increased storage capacity in standard Famicom ROM cartridges.[152] In January 1994, Square acquired developer Cobra Team, turning it into a subsidiary called Solid and focusing their work on cooperating with external developers.[1][153] In 1995, Square established DreamFactory as an affiliate studio, which developed fighting-based titles for the PlayStation and PS2. DreamFactory became an independent company in 2001 after Square transferred their shares.[154][155] Square later founded subsidiary Escape in March 1998 with staff from DreamFactory. It only produced Driving Emotion Type-S (2000) before being liquidated in 2003.[139][156]
The company held a stake in Bushido Blade developer Lightweight, founded in 1995.[157][158] It sold that stake to software company Forside in 1999.[159][160] Front Mission developers G-Craft had a close relationship with Square, who provided funds and production resources. Square bought out G-Craft and incorporated it in 1997 during production of Front Mission 2.[71] Other affiliates associated with Square between the early 1990s to 2000 were font company Kusanagi, and developers Positron and Luciola.[160][161] In 2002, Ogre Battle developer Quest Corporation withdrew from game development and was bought by Square. Absorbed and repurposed into a production division, their first project was Final Fantasy Tactics Advance (2003).[162][163][164]
Related studios
Many Square employees went on to found notable development studios and other ventures.[78][165] Nishi founded Love-de-Lic in 1995, producing three games including Moon: Remix RPG Adventure. Love-de-Lic staff went on to found other small studios including Skip Ltd. (Chibi-Robo!), and Punchline (Rule of Rose).[53][79][166] Frustrated with Square's rigid hierarchy, Kikuta founded Sacnoth in 1997, which would become known for the Shadow Hearts series;[78][59] he left Sacnoth in 1999 following the release of his project Koudelka and founded the music label Nostrilia.[59][167] Several Xenogears developers, including Takahashi and Tanaka, founded Monolith Soft in 1999 in order to pursue projects outside the Final Fantasy series, developing more games using the Xeno prefix.[78][168]
Kameoka and other developers who worked on Legend of Mana (1999) founded Brownie Brown in 2000. Brownie Brown later worked with Square Enix on Sword of Mana (2003), a remake of Final Fantasy Adventure.[81][169] Also in 2000, Mizuno founded AlphaDream, engaging Fujioka and going on to develop the Mario & Luigi series.[52][170] Staff members from Square Pictures, including The Spirits Within co-director Motonori Sakakibara, established Sprite Animation Studios in 2002.[171][172] After his resignation from Square, Takechi founded music label Dreamusic in 2001 with Kazunaga Nitta.[26] Mitsuda founded the music studio Procyon in 2001 so he could work while maintaining his health.[80] After stepping down as president in 2001, Sakaguchi experienced a period of low morale before returning to game development, founding Mistwalker in 2004.[87] The studio became known for the Blue Dragon and Terra Wars series, as well as stand-alone projects such as Lost Odyssey and The Last Story.[28][78][87]
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Notes
Further reading
- Chun, Michelle (March 18, 2002). "SquareSoft: What's Behind the Hype? A Case History" (PDF). Stanford University. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 20, 2012. Retrieved September 2, 2011.
External links
- Square Co., Ltd Official website (archives) Wayback Machine
- Square Soft Inc Official website (archives)
- Square USA Official website (archives)
- History of Enix and Square (Square Enix's site) Archived May 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine