View source for User:Lennethinian/sandbox/Square

{{InfoCompany
|image=Square Co. Logo (1983)
}}
'''Squaresoft''' was one of the parent companies which joined to become [[Square Enix]].  Squaresoft merged with [[Enix]] and became Square Enix shortly afterwards on April 1, 2003.

==History==
{{wikipedia}}
===Origins===
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"/>

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"/>

===1985–1987: First games, ''Final Fantasy''===
[[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.]]
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"/>

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"/>

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"/>

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"/>

===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 in the Final Fantasy 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]].<ref name="EdgeSakaguchi"/><ref name="PolygonRetro"/> In 1990, Square moved its offices to the [[Akasaka, Tokyo|Akasaka]] district, and then to [[Ebisu, Shibuya]] in 1992.<ref name="SquareInfo1998"/> 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.<ref name="Foundation"/>

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"/>

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"/>

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"/>

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" />

===1995–1999: Move to 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]]
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"/>

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"/>

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"/>

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 (video game)|Another Mind]]''.<ref name="SoukaigiBook"/> Around this time, several staff members departed Square due to creative differences or a desire to work on their own projects.<ref name="ANNstudios"/> These included Takahashi and Tanaka,<ref name="ANNstudios"/> Fujioka,<ref name="Fujioka"/> Nishi,<ref name="NishiiUSG"/> Kikuta,<ref name="RocketInterview"/> Mitsuda,<ref name="GMOint"/> and ''Mana'' artist Shinichi Kameoka.<ref name="IGNbrown"/> 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.<ref name="SuzukiInfo"/> Alongside this, [[Yoichi Wada]] joined the company as a company director and eventually COO.<ref name="SEdirectors"/> In August 2000, Square was listed on [[Tokyo Stock Exchange]]'s first section, which includes the largest companies on the exchange.<ref name="SquareName"/><ref name="TSE"/>

===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.<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"/>

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"/>

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"/>

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"/>

==References== 
<references/>

{{stub}}
{{NavBox/Companies}}
{{NavBox/Squaresoft Series}}