【1986〜1996】スクウェア史——倒産寸前を救ったファイナル・ファンタジー誕生から任天堂との決別まで【前編】

This two-part series will trace the history of Square, the predecessor of Square Enix. Part one covers the ten years from its founding in 1986 to its split with Nintendo in 1996. Surprisingly, it didn't begin as a game company. The software division of Denyusha, a power construction company, spun off under founder Masafumi Miyamoto, giving birth to Square. In September 1986, its capital was a mere 10 million yen. Early titles didn't sell well, and it suffered repeated failures with titles for the Famicom Disk System. At the end of 1986, on the brink of bankruptcy, President Miyamoto commissioned four directors to develop new projects. Hironobu Sakaguchi proposed an RPG, inspired by the success of Enix's Dragon Quest. The working title was "Fighting Fantasy," and development began with the condition of a team of five or fewer people. The title "Final" reflects Sakaguchi's literal resolve: "If it didn't sell, I was planning to quit the game industry and return to university." As a result, Final Fantasy, released in December 1987, sold over 520,000 copies in Japan, generating over 3 billion yen in sales, and became a game that saved the company. This marked the beginning of Square's golden age. FF II & III on the Famicom, Makai Toushi SaGa on the Game Boy, FF IV, V & VI on the Super Famicom, Secret of Mana, Romancing SaGa, and Chrono Trigger—1995, when the "dream team" of Hironobu Sakaguchi, Yuji Horii, and Akira Toriyama came together, was truly Square's peak. However, in 1996, Square made a major decision. They parted ways with Nintendo, which had chosen cartridges for its next-generation hardware, and moved to Sony's PlayStation, which adopted CD-ROMs. A single comment from subsidiary DigiCube proved to be the decisive blow, plunging the relationship between the two companies into a cold war that lasted approximately 8 to 10 years. We will discuss the glory and disaster that awaited them in their new home in the second part. 🔔Subscribe to our channel here Packed with content that retro game lovers absolutely cannot miss! Don't forget to click the notification bell!    / @yukkuri-retro   *The information presented in this video is based on the content at the time of recording. *This video respects the copyright of each game and uses footage only within the scope of explanation and review. *We strive to provide the most accurate information possible based on valuable materials from the time of development. [Character Voices] Kotonoha Akane (A.I.VOICE) Kotonoha Aoi (A.I.VOICE) Zundamon (VOICEVOX) Tsukuyomi-chan (COEIROINK) #Square #FinalFantasy