Final Fantasy has always been the flagship of Square Enix, and legendary composer Nobuo Uematsu recently revealed that the company almost collapsed after series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi left in 2003. Inspired by classic RPGs like Ultima and Wizardry, Sakaguchi spearheaded the development of the original Final Fantasy alongside an “A-Team” of Square’s top staff members in the late 80s. The results were a breakout hit that spawned a massively popular series of JRPGs that has continued to this day.
Part of what made the original Final Fantasy such a big hit was the work of Nobuo Uematsu, a composer who would continue to make music for the series all the way up to 2006’s Final Fantasy 12 and return for future installments like the Final Fantasy 7 Remake games. He recently sat down for an interview with Hironobu Sakaguchi to discuss their time working together at Square Enix and the impact their work has had on both the company and gaming as a whole.
Veteran Game Director Has Left Square Enix After 29 Years
A longtime game director reveals that he will be leaving Square Enix after nearly three decades working on some of its most popular games.
On the latest episode of the NOBIYO To Isshoni (Together with NOBIYO) podcast (as translated by Automaton), Uematsu explained how Sakaguchi was “the big boss” at Square, and that the company felt more like a club of university students when they were working in Hiyoshi, Japan. He says that Sakaguchi was always able to manage his staff in this kind of environment despite not having a proper corporate organization. Everyone listened to Sakaguchi, who Uematsu says had the ability to attract people around him even if he would be strict and bossy at times.
Square ‘Almost Collapsed’ After Hironobu Sakaguchi Left
Sakaguchi’s leadership was so strong that Uematsu revealed that Square struggled after he left in 2003. He described the situation as “awful,” and that the organization all but “collapsed” in the wake of Sakaguchi’s departure. Even Uematsu himself considered leaving the company, and many key members actually did so during the final year before Square's merger with Enix. Uematsu described the situation as the staff not knowing who to follow or what goals to work towards, but he also praised Square Enix for getting back on track afterward.
Nobuo Uematsu would eventually leave Square Enix in 2004 to work as a freelance composer, and he would reunite with Hironobu Sakaguchi for projects like Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey, and The Last Story. Their most recent collaboration was 2024’s Fantasian Neo Dimension, which Uematsu considers to be his final game. As for Square Enix and Final Fantasy, both are still going strong with a third Final Fantasy 7 Remake entry in development and rumors of a similar remake of Final Fantasy 9 being planned.
Final Fantasy 16
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 87 /100 Critics Rec: 91%
- Released
- June 22, 2023
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Publisher(s)
- Square Enix
- Engine
- Proprietary Engine
- Franchise
- Final Fantasy
WHERE TO PLAY
An epic dark fantasy world where the fate of the land is decided by the mighty Eikons and the Dominants who wield them.
This is the tale of Clive Rosfield, a warrior granted the title “First Shield of Rosaria” and sworn to protect his younger brother Joshua, the dominant of the Phoenix. Before long, Clive will be caught up in a great tragedy and swear revenge on the Dark Eikon Ifrit, a mysterious entity that brings calamity in its wake.
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
