Video game developer · Japan · Closed in 2003
Square
Founded in September 1986
- 66
- games developed
- 65
- games published
- 0
- in development
History of Square
Square began in September 1983 as the software subsidiary of Den-Yu-Sha, an electric power company run by Kuniichi Miyamoto. His son Masafumi Miyamoto had no wish to go into the power business and set up a games team at the Yokohama branch, convinced that games would need graphic designers, programmers and writers rather than a lone programmer. That is how Hironobu Sakaguchi and Hiromichi Tanaka joined, at first part-time. In September 1986 Square was re-established as an independent company, and in December it bought the original games division from Den-Yu-Sha.
Its first finished game was the text adventure The Death Trap (1984) for the NEC PC-8801 computer. In 1985 it signed a licensing deal with Nintendo for the Famicom, where it debuted with a port of Thexder and its first original game, King's Knight (1986). With the company struggling, Miyamoto agreed to Sakaguchi's pitch for a role-playing game on condition that the team was kept to five people, including Nasir Gebelli, Akitoshi Kawazu, Koichi Ishii and Nobuo Uematsu. The result was Final Fantasy (1987).
More entries followed on the Famicom and Super Famicom, up to Final Fantasy VI (1994), along with new series such as SaGa, which began on the Game Boy in 1989, and Mana, which started with Seiken Densetsu (1991). Square also made Chrono Trigger with Yuji Horii and Akira Toriyama, and Super Mario RPG with Nintendo. Because cartridges were expensive, it moved to Sony's PlayStation, which caused a rift with Nintendo. Final Fantasy VII (1997) was a worldwide critical and commercial success and made Square famous internationally.
The film Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001) flopped at the box office, pushed the company into its first loss and stalled merger talks with Enix. Square recovered with Final Fantasy X (2001), Kingdom Hearts (2002), made with Disney, and Final Fantasy XI (2002), its first massively multiplayer online role-playing game, and it began working with Nintendo again. On 1 April 2003 it merged with Enix to form Square Enix. Sakaguchi left that year and founded Mistwalker in 2004.
Milestones
1983
Set up as Den-Yu-Sha's software subsidiary.
1984
The Death Trap, its first finished game.
1986
Becomes an independent company; King's Knight.
1987
Final Fantasy.
1989
The SaGa series begins on the Game Boy.
1997
Final Fantasy VII, on PlayStation.
2001
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within flops at the box office.
2002
Kingdom Hearts, made with Disney.
2003
Merges with Enix to form Square Enix.
Its best-known games
Chrono Trigger
1995 · SNES · Wii · SFAM
Final Fantasy III
1994 · SNES · Wii · WiiU
Final Fantasy
1987 · 3DS · Wii · famicom
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
1996 · SNES · Wii · WiiU
Secret of Mana
1993 · SNES · Wii · Android
Final Fantasy IV
1991 · Wii · WiiU · New 3DS
Final Fantasy V
1992 · Wii · SFAM
Parasite Eve
1998 · PS3 · PS1 · PSP
Final Fantasy II
1991 · SNES · Wii
Parasite Eve II
1999 · PS3 · PS1 · PSP
Final Fantasy II
1988 · 3DS · Wii · famicom
Trials of Mana
1995 · SNES · Switch · SFAM
Every game it has developed (66)
2016
- Final Fantasy IX PC
2013
- Final Fantasy VIII PC
2002
- World Fantasista PS2
- Final Fantasy IV
2000
- Final Fantasy
- Geki Kuukan Pro Baseball: At the End of the Century 1999 PS2
- Final Fantasy VIII PC
1999
- Parasite Eve II PS3, PS1, PSP
- Chrono Trigger PS3, PS1, PSP
- Final Fantasy VI PS3, PS1, PSP
- Chocobo no Fushigi na Dungeon for WonderSwan WonderSwan
1998
- Chocobo's Dungeon 2 PS3, PS1, PSP
- Final Fantasy VII PC
- Parasite Eve PS3, PS1, PSP
- Final Fantasy V PS3, PS1, PSP
- Super Live Stadium PS1
1997
- Chocobo no Fushigi na Dungeon PS3, PS1, PSP
- Front Mission Alternative PS3, PS1, PSP
- SaGa Frontier PS3, PS1, PSP
- Final Fantasy IV PS3, PS1, PSP
1996
- Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars SNES, Wii, WiiU, SFAM
- Bahamut Lagoon Wii, WiiU, SFAM
- Radical Dreamers: Le Trésor Interdit
- Treasure Conflix
- Koi ha Balance: Tatoeba K-kun no Tabou na Ichinichi-hen
- Dynami Tracer
1995
- Romancing SaGa 3 Wii, SFAM
- Trials of Mana SNES, Switch, SFAM
- Chrono Trigger: Jet Bike Special
- Chrono Trigger: Music Library
- Chrono Trigger: Character Library
- Chrono Trigger SNES, Wii, SFAM
1994
- Final Fantasy III SNES, Wii, WiiU, New 3DS
1993
- Romancing SaGa 2 PS4, SNES, Wii, Android
- Secret of Mana SNES, Wii, Android, iOS
1992
- Hanjuku Hero: Aa Sekai yo Hanjuku Nare Android, iOS, SFAM
- Final Fantasy V Wii, SFAM
- Romancing SaGa Wii, Mobile, SFAM
1991
- Final Fantasy II SNES, Wii
- Final Fantasy IV Easy Type SFAM
- Final Fantasy IV Wii, WiiU, New 3DS, SFAM
- Final Fantasy Adventure Game Boy, Switch
1990
- Final Fantasy Legend II Game Boy
- Rad Racer II Arcade, NES
- Final Fantasy III 3DS, Wii, famicom, WiiU
1989
- The Final Fantasy Legend Game Boy
- Final Fantasy MSX2
- Square's Tom Sawyer famicom
1988
- Final Fantasy II 3DS, Wii, famicom, WiiU
- Hanjuku Hero fds, 3DS, Wii, famicom
- JJ famicom
1987
- Aliens: Alien 2 fds, MSX
- Final Fantasy 3DS, Wii, famicom, WiiU
- Nakayama Miho no Tokimeki High School fds
- 3-D WorldRunner fds, NES
- Rad Racer Arcade, famicom, NES
- Cleopatra no Mahou fds
- King's Knight Special x1
- Apple Town Monogatari: Little Computer People fds, famicom
1986
- Suishou no Dragon fds
- King's Knight MSX
- King's Knight 3DS, Wii, famicom, WiiU
- Alpha PC
- Cruise Chaser Blassty x1
1985
- Will: The Death Trap II
1984
- The Death Trap
Games it has published without developing them (65)
- Dragon Slayer 1984
- Thexder 1985
- Hao-kun no Fushigi na Tabi 1987
- Deep Dungeon III: Yuushi he no Tabi 1988
- Akuu Senki Raijin 1988
- Final Fantasy Legend III 1991
- Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest 1992
- Breath of Fire 1993
- Alcahest 1993
- Live A Live 1994
- Front Mission 1995
- Secret of Evermore 1995
- Front Mission: Gun Hazard 1996
- Rudra no Hihou 1996
- Treasure Hunter G 1996
- Tobal No. 1 1996
- Final Fantasy VII 1997
- Bushido Blade 1997
- Tobal 2 1997
- Digical League 1997
- Final Fantasy Tactics 1997
- Front Mission 2 1997
- Final Fantasy VII International 1997
- Einhänder 1997
- Xenogears 1998
- Ehrgeiz 1998
- Bushido Blade 2 1998
- Soukaigi 1998
- Brave Fencer Musashi 1998
- Another Mind 1998
- iS: internal section 1999
- Final Fantasy VIII 1999
- Chocobo Racing 1999
- SaGa Frontier 2 1999
- Cyber Org 1999
- Racing Lagoon 1999
- Legend of Mana 1999
- Front Mission 3 1999
- Threads of Fate 1999
- Chrono Cross 1999
- Chocobo Stallion 1999
- Vagrant Story 2000
- Driving Emotion Type-S 2000
- Final Fantasy IX 2000
- All Star Pro-Wrestling 2000
- Hataraku Chocobo 2000
- The Bouncer 2000
- Wild Card 2001
- Final Fantasy II 2001
- Final Fantasy X 2001
- Cross Gate 2001
- Blue Wing Blitz 2001
- All Star Pro Wrestling II 2001
- Final Fantasy X International 2002
- Makai Toushi SaGa 2002
- Kingdom Hearts 2002
- Final Fantasy XI Online 2002
- Kingdom Hearts 2002
- Final Fantasy 2002
- Final Fantasy II 2002
- Chocobo Land: A Game of Dice 2002
- Unlimited SaGa 2002
- Kingdom Hearts Final Mix 2002
- Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 2003
- Final Fantasy X-2 2003