The Complete History of Square (Part 1) | Documentary

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  • Опубликовано: 30 май 2021
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    In the first of our comprehensive look at the History of Square, we investigate how the company was formed and how key individuals such as Hironobu Sakaguchi, Hiromichi Tanaka, Nobuo Uematsu, Kazuko Shibuya and Hisashi Suzuki, worked together to create games like The Death Trap, Cruise Chase Blassty and Alpha.
    This documentary was produced thanks to the support from Patreon
    Patreon: / ffunion
    Website: www.finalfantasyunion.com
    Twitter - / ffunion
    Discord: / discord
    Written & Narrated by Darryl
    Edited by Travis ( / travesty2000 )
    Thanks to Chris Kohler ( / kobunheat )
  • ИгрыИгры

Комментарии • 302

  • @FinalFantasyUnion
    @FinalFantasyUnion  3 года назад +153

    This is the first feature-length video documentary we have ever produced and it wouldn't have been possible without our supporters on Patreon. If you'd like to see more content like this, please consider supporting us: www.patreon.com/ffunion

    • @jarodantonovich5722
      @jarodantonovich5722 3 года назад +4

      Is there a part 2 coming? This was really interesting to learn about

    • @elusivelight3766
      @elusivelight3766 2 года назад

      Good job! This is well made I really enjoyed it. Thanks and keep it up!.. ✌️

  • @FinalFantasyPeasant
    @FinalFantasyPeasant 3 года назад +278

    dayum this is dope, FFunion are the true professionals I pretend to be 😂

    • @pandaeyez
      @pandaeyez 3 года назад +10

      You're awesome too mate! I can see the passion you have for FF is boundless!

    • @Zuko997
      @Zuko997 3 года назад +7

      I love your content. Don't sell yourself short!

    • @UltimaV24
      @UltimaV24 3 года назад +5

      You’re awesome too

    • @FinalFantasyUnion
      @FinalFantasyUnion  3 года назад +34

      Thank you so much! We love your content monsieur Peasant, don't sell yourself short :)

    • @johnnymontalvo5620
      @johnnymontalvo5620 3 года назад +4

      You both rock!

  • @torgan
    @torgan 3 года назад +67

    The way you guys delivered this really makes me wish that there was a docudrama about Square.

  • @Alucitary
    @Alucitary 3 года назад +72

    "Hironobu Sakaguchi chose to defer his university studies, but perhaps fearing that someday the dream would end, Sakaguchi chose to stay enrolled at Yokohama."
    What you did there, I see it.

  • @JoelBurger
    @JoelBurger 3 года назад +55

    Really excited to see the full story, especially since so much of this has been mythologized over the years. "Square had no hit games and were going to go out of business, until they made one last effort with FF" kind of stuff.

  • @aoijeka
    @aoijeka 3 года назад +8

    I always knew Hiromichi Tanaka is one of the co-founders of Square, but seeing his young self and his closeness to young Sakaguchi legit teared me up on how the company treated him during/after XIV development.

  • @CompleteAnimation
    @CompleteAnimation 3 года назад +30

    I hope that once all the parts of this documentary are complete, you'll upload a complete cut, regardless of how long it is.

    • @travesty2000
      @travesty2000 3 года назад +8

      When all the parts have been finished and released, uploading a super-cut is our plan!

  • @Dansg08
    @Dansg08 3 года назад +59

    I planned to watch this in 2 parts but I got hooked in, great work and excellent storytelling, can’t wait for the next part!

  • @ducbinh199
    @ducbinh199 3 года назад +27

    this make me feel like a kid again, like when i first watch "final fantasy retrospective" series when they come out, done by gametrailers team, can't wait to see more.

  • @thepaper888
    @thepaper888 3 года назад +9

    This unofficial documentary should be recognized/accepted as official, then shown on PBS round the clock.

  • @GamingKume
    @GamingKume 3 года назад +33

    This documentary is brought to you by the word, “pragmatic”.
    Good stuff, guys. Can’t wait for the next part.

  • @Muncheiy
    @Muncheiy 3 года назад +13

    I would never open a 40 minute documentary about a company by any other youtuber. But I just love the way you guys research so deeply, explore the most interesting details, and deliver the content so well. Nicely done.

    • @drummerlinn
      @drummerlinn 2 года назад

      At 1.5 speed, it’s less than 25 minutes

  • @lucinae8510
    @lucinae8510 3 года назад +2

    Thanks for bringing up Falcom and Dragon Slayer! Even with the Trails and Ys series becoming more popular, many people are unaware of the Square connection and how pioneering they were for action RPG's at the time.

    • @FinalFantasyUnion
      @FinalFantasyUnion  3 года назад +1

      You're most welcome! We made a conscious decision to delve a bit into the back story of some of those older companies and it's great to hear it's been appreciated ~Darryl

  • @gushen_
    @gushen_ 3 года назад +7

    “Ah neat, a documentary on Square! Can’t wait to learn more about Final Fantasy.”
    Begins a history lesson on the US offensive against Imperial Japan in WW2.

  • @jayromero7535
    @jayromero7535 3 года назад +4

    Thank you so much for creating this. As a lifelong fan of Square/soft/enix since the 1980s, the was so much I knew and so much I realized I didn't know about the near failures in making this company what it is today. Excellent work to all those involved in making this.

    • @FinalFantasyUnion
      @FinalFantasyUnion  3 года назад

      You're most welcome Jay, we're so happy to hear you enjoyed the video! ~Darryl

  • @ty_sylicus
    @ty_sylicus 3 года назад +23

    This was a very deep dive.
    Well done team!

  • @kevindepuy5390
    @kevindepuy5390 3 года назад +6

    Thank you Final Fantasy Union, Ive been meaning to make a SE documentary, but no need since you covered it so well and looks like you will cover everything. I was specifically going to make the documentary about the formation of SE, and the battle at Squaresoft between Sakaguchi and Yoichi Wada in the late nineties; the Suit vs the artist, the guy who wanted to use the FF brand everywhere, vs the guy who wanted to keep FF humble, not produce sequels etc. It was basically an explanation in how badly Yoichi Wada screwed up the company, first by replacing Sakaguchi/blaming him for the FFX delay that got him fired(Sakaguchi formed Mistwalker before the FF movie even came out, so he was on the way out already) then by producing the first sequel, FFX-2 which was a success but set a bad precedent, as Sakaguchi put it on twitter, started "whoring out final fantasy". Wada respected the FFX- story director so much thinking he was the "golden child" as he put it, put him to work on too many projects and all of them ended up failing and in some cases destroyed the (brand ala Front Mission Evolved, Third Birthday), including FFXIII that needed help from tons of teams like the Versus XIII team and the director couldnt direct as the teams werent coordinated properly. Then Wadas nail in the coffin was the creation Of SE internal engines, which delayed so many games(Versus XIII, XIV) and games turn out poorly (XIV) that it basically brought the company to a collapse. Thank god Wada is gone.
    Just saying, cant wait till you get to that part lol

  • @DistantSon1
    @DistantSon1 3 года назад +3

    It begins!!! Long time in the works, so happy!

  • @havocbringer2100
    @havocbringer2100 3 года назад +2

    Daaaamn that cliffhanger! When will the next part drop?

  • @truecrescent00013
    @truecrescent00013 3 года назад +2

    When you talked about July 4 1945. My heart just sinks for them. I think it's absolutely incredible you mentioned it. You guys are the best.

  • @maggiebrinkley4760
    @maggiebrinkley4760 3 года назад +19

    This is a cracking documentary! Thank you, Darryl and Lauren, for all your hard work.

  • @SuperSupersoda
    @SuperSupersoda 3 года назад +6

    Today I learned that two of my absolute favorite game developers, Square and Nihon Falcom, were working together from the very beginning, and that Square helped Falcom with DragonSlayer, the game whose sequel would eventually become the first "legend of heroes" game and would give birth to my favorite non-Square JRPG franchise: the kiseki series.
    It must have been amazing to have been there, in the room, in the early 80's when so much that would define the future of gaming was being invented.

  • @darrelllewis5798
    @darrelllewis5798 3 года назад +2

    Hey Darrell, this is Darrell. This was great and I can't wait for the next part!

  • @Zeul28
    @Zeul28 3 года назад +9

    Cant wait for the 2nd part. This documentary was quite close to heart

  • @jamesjam671
    @jamesjam671 3 года назад +3

    I tough it was a documentary about how people decided to add corners to circle, I still like tho.

  • @JustSpag
    @JustSpag 3 года назад +5

    Did anyone else laugh in horror at Tanaka's almost meme-tier illustration?

  • @fattiger6957
    @fattiger6957 3 года назад +2

    It's weird seeing Sakaguchi without a mustache.

  • @megustare8337
    @megustare8337 3 года назад +6

    This documentary is amazing from the start! Creating and narrating a documentary is something I would like to do one day now that I'm done with college.

  • @marcuslee3051
    @marcuslee3051 3 года назад +3

    Never clicked onto a RUclips video so quickly before.

  • @skyserpent14
    @skyserpent14 3 года назад +17

    As always, I am impressed by your extensive research on everything to do with this company. Can't wait to see the next video 😁

    • @FinalFantasyUnion
      @FinalFantasyUnion  3 года назад +6

      Thank you so much Savannah! The next video should be even better :D

  • @chrisludwig2733
    @chrisludwig2733 3 года назад +2

    SPOILER ALERT: It's been confirmed that FFXVI will have a subtitle - Final Fantasy XVI: Cruise Chaser Blassty
    What a superb documentary! The personality, detail, and (so far as I'm aware) obscure info on the origins of the creators and the company were exquisite. Excellent work, Final Fantasy Union! Thanks, and looking forward to part two.
    I also got a kick out of the upgraded Square logo prominently featuring triangles.

  • @angbald
    @angbald 3 года назад +5

    I want to thank everyone giving money to this channel so that this content can be made. If I had any money at all it would be yours.

  • @genkaiba15
    @genkaiba15 3 года назад +2

    Very informative and well done. I look forward to the next entry.

  • @DeBeOtaku
    @DeBeOtaku 3 года назад +3

    Can't wait for part 2!!!

  • @Zogamer7
    @Zogamer7 3 года назад +5

    Huge recognition to everyone involved with this amazingly detailed and beautifully presented documentary. Square is my favorite game developer and learning their fascinating orgins through this documentary was awesome! Now excuse me while I watch it again and again.

  • @Ch3micalboy
    @Ch3micalboy 3 года назад +2

    Great job, so professional!!

  • @TheDeChaser
    @TheDeChaser 3 года назад +6

    A very deep respect for what you are doing here and how you want to provide a detailed and specific historical record of the rise of this interesting company. Thank you for all of the hard work that was put into even just this episode, and I will patiently await each new segment of this series. Keep up the exceptional work.

  • @paulodanteneto1645
    @paulodanteneto1645 3 года назад +6

    Oh, hell yeah, this will surely be awesome. Happy to be here for the launch.

  • @joshuab1707
    @joshuab1707 3 года назад +4

    Minute and a half in and you already gave me goosebumps

  • @KCanbutwont
    @KCanbutwont 3 года назад +2

    Fantastic content as always, thank you again FFUnion!

  • @toddnicholson2121
    @toddnicholson2121 3 года назад +3

    When my feet get back on the ground financially speaking you are most definitely getting a new patron. This was absolutely amazing! Keep up the badass work!!!

  • @BigGahmBoss
    @BigGahmBoss 3 года назад +3

    You exceeded expectations with this. You guys are a great team and deserve all the support you get

  • @keyofb3528
    @keyofb3528 3 года назад +6

    Bring on part two already xD What great way to start my morning!

    • @FinalFantasyUnion
      @FinalFantasyUnion  3 года назад +2

      We'll try our best Bryar! Glad to hear you enjoyed Part 1 :) ~Darryl

  • @TheGamersState
    @TheGamersState 3 года назад +2

    Videos like this 1 is why I love this channel, I'm stoked for the next part!

  • @orcuswells649
    @orcuswells649 3 года назад +2

    I’m so glad this project has been realized- it was a great story, and I’m impressed at the level of detail in the story and editing. Given how deeply you delved into things even before FFI, I can’t wait to see what else is in store. I loved learning about this unknown part of history too

  • @vladimirmlotschek3265
    @vladimirmlotschek3265 3 года назад +4

    Y'all are awesome - great work on this one, Darryl, Lauren, Travis, and Chris :)

  • @DarkMagiciansMaster
    @DarkMagiciansMaster 3 года назад +2

    Been waiting for this one. Loved the video can't wait for the rest of it. Great work!!

  • @naetle07
    @naetle07 3 года назад +2

    You guys have clearly put a ton of time and effort into researching this. It really shows. But I'd love to see a list of all the sources you used for this doc to explore more deeply.

  • @ChromeColossus
    @ChromeColossus 3 года назад +3

    Wow. This is a level of detail on the company that I didn't even know existed. Awesome work!

  • @sean9284
    @sean9284 3 года назад +2

    This is so awesome! Great documentary dude

  • @UltimaV24
    @UltimaV24 3 года назад +2

    Thank you Union for this amazing video 🤍

  • @xavierninetwofourfiveone6901
    @xavierninetwofourfiveone6901 3 года назад +2

    Great video! I've been waiting for this for so long. I can't wait til the next part! Keep up the amazing work!

  • @kidzarentright
    @kidzarentright 3 года назад +2

    I felt nostalgic when I heard Sakaguchi and Uematsu, two names I always remember when seeing the opening credits of Final Fantasy games. It's nice to see what happened before their rise, can't wait for part 2!

  • @Renegated27
    @Renegated27 3 года назад +2

    This was awesome!!! It got me hooked from minute 1!! Thank you so much. Can’t wait for Part2

  • @ChicagoRetroGamer
    @ChicagoRetroGamer 3 года назад +2

    Awesome video. Keep up the great work. Might watch it again tomorrow.

  • @lucasberg5907
    @lucasberg5907 3 года назад +2

    This is so interesting, i love it! Can’t want to see the next one!

  • @annisk768
    @annisk768 3 года назад +3

    Been waiting for something like this for god knows how long! You guys are a true gift to the FF/KH communities, can't wait for Part 2

  • @davids7654
    @davids7654 3 года назад +2

    Very well done. Can't wait for the next part

  • @kdemographic8109
    @kdemographic8109 3 года назад +2

    Absolutely fascinating. Thank you so much for this!

  • @jakedeschamps4454
    @jakedeschamps4454 3 года назад +4

    I'm really looking forward to part 2! This video was amazing! I loved every part of it. Y'all are awesome!

  • @kaylamartin4838
    @kaylamartin4838 3 года назад +3

    This was very interesting to watch! I can't wait for part two! There have always been Square games over the years that I've enjoyed, mainly the Final Fantasy series of course. Kingdom Hearts had a huge impact on me as well. But other smaller things like the Fullmetal Alchemist games they made for the PS2 and many others. Its really intriguing to hear their full history like this! Really enjoyed it! Thank you for putting so much time and effort into such a huge project!

  • @Nicko0925
    @Nicko0925 3 года назад +2

    This deserves millions of views. This was so well done!

  • @Y0y0Jester
    @Y0y0Jester Год назад

    I had no idea what I would get when I typed "history of final fantasy" into the search bar. I was looking for something to hype me up to play FF1. The results I found did not hook me. Then I saw this video in the list of recommended videos. Before I knew it 50 minutes had passed and I watched Part 1 entirely. This is some AAA rated high quality premium documentary content right here. Excellent job to everyone involved in the making of this video. An absolute gem. I hope you get million more views on this.

  • @WalkerGallier
    @WalkerGallier 3 года назад +3

    I had no idea that one of their first games was where the XIV raid boss Cruise Chaser came from

  • @kut5ara256
    @kut5ara256 3 года назад +2

    Love love love!!! There was so much that I didn't know before! I cant wait for the next part!

  • @buddah1978egypt
    @buddah1978egypt 3 года назад +2

    Absolutely fascinating. I had to turn on adblock after a while, crazy amount od ads

  • @BlueDude87
    @BlueDude87 3 года назад +1

    This documentary was so amazing. I loved learning about the early days of Square. I can't wait for Part 2!

  • @ItalianAvalanche
    @ItalianAvalanche 3 года назад +2

    This was detailed af. I'm really impressed.

  • @catharina1905
    @catharina1905 3 года назад +2

    This was amazing, and I'm so excited for the parts to come!

  • @Mana2Burn
    @Mana2Burn 3 года назад +2

    This is amazing. Cannot wait to see the next entry!

  • @kaaru1990
    @kaaru1990 3 года назад +2

    Fantastic video, loved it. Can't wait for the next part! :)

  • @RasenRendanX
    @RasenRendanX 3 года назад +1

    I wanted to wait for Part 2 to binge both parts but i couldnt wait anymore
    as expected this was amazing. Its funny to see the origin of the company name came from Golf of all things.

  • @alarsenal10
    @alarsenal10 3 года назад +2

    Sterling job, Final Fantasy Union! This video was a joy to watch. Thank you for creating spectacular, memorable content.

    • @FinalFantasyUnion
      @FinalFantasyUnion  3 года назад +3

      You're most welcome alarsenal! We're so glad to hear that you enjoyed it :)

  • @WCworkhorse
    @WCworkhorse 3 года назад +1

    You all are amazing! This is a fantastic documentary. I really appreciate all of your hard work and absolutely love your content.

  • @jmrob161
    @jmrob161 3 года назад +1

    Fantastic first episode FFU! I can't wait to see the rest of the videos in this series!

    • @FinalFantasyUnion
      @FinalFantasyUnion  3 года назад +3

      Thanks jmrob! We'll try our best to get the next part out as soon as possible! ~Darryl

  • @Grieva-SeeD-
    @Grieva-SeeD- 2 года назад

    This is the sort of content that makes RUclips a great platform. Really professional guys, thank you!

  • @TarksGauntlet
    @TarksGauntlet 3 года назад +1

    This is brilliant work guys. I made a similar video a number of years ago called "Square Enix Before the Merger - A history of Squaresoft, Enix, Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy"
    With that thing clocking in at 50 minutes I thought for sure it was all the depth this sort of topic would ever get, but what you guys got here.. man.. I wish I had your resources haha. Excellent, excellent work. Truly. I'm floored.

  • @morelan6987
    @morelan6987 3 года назад

    This is SO good. I cannot imagine the ammount of reasearch it must take to do something like this. Amazing work.

  • @rokerius94
    @rokerius94 3 года назад +3

    I am very interested in seeing this documentary through. Thank you!

  • @arecord86
    @arecord86 3 года назад +2

    Love love love this. Stellar work, can’t wait for the next episode

  • @miarose5156
    @miarose5156 3 года назад +7

    And thus my week started off to a good start!!!!! Super excited for this video!!!!!!!!!
    Edit: was not disappointed at all and this video was super informative and went so in depth I honestly feel like I’ve learned from this and yet I feel like I have more to learn from rewatching it!!!!! Fantastic work guys so proud that this finally got released!!!!!! Love you lots!!!!

  • @camilovelez8851
    @camilovelez8851 3 года назад +2

    What an amazing video guys! I hope you feel really proud about this, you totally should

    • @FinalFantasyUnion
      @FinalFantasyUnion  3 года назад +2

      Thank you Camilo! Honestly, we weren't sure what the response would be like, but we've been blown away by how positive everyone has been!

  • @qxz9p
    @qxz9p 3 года назад +2

    Great video. Very well researched and presented.

  • @joshuafitzpatrick7714
    @joshuafitzpatrick7714 3 года назад +2

    Must watch. So well done! Worth every minute!

  • @michaeld7925
    @michaeld7925 3 года назад

    i cant wait for part 2. If i ever meet you two im going to bow down. you guys keep me going. Please keep it up

  • @salesiteisina7098
    @salesiteisina7098 2 года назад

    Loved part 1, now moving on to part 2. Great video man!!!!

  • @jacksonlevine8751
    @jacksonlevine8751 3 года назад +2

    I thought I knew everything about Square already but I've never seen anyone dig as deep as you guys and I ended up learning a lot. Excellent job!

    • @FinalFantasyUnion
      @FinalFantasyUnion  3 года назад +1

      Thank you Jackson! We were worried it might have been too granular, but it's been great to see how much everyone has appreciated the level of detail we went to. ~Darryl

  • @Kaz999998
    @Kaz999998 3 года назад +2

    This is awesome, can't wait for more!

  • @togo2051
    @togo2051 3 года назад

    This is so beautifully done. Congratulations. Can NOT wait for more!

  • @Cyrusx9
    @Cyrusx9 3 года назад +2

    reminds me of the Gametrailers Final Fantasy Retrospective. Good stuff

  • @holymolythejabroni9040
    @holymolythejabroni9040 3 года назад +2

    Squaresoft 1995-2000 is the best era any developer has ever had, rivaled only by Nintendo’s 1990-1995 and perhaps Fromsoft’s 2011-2016.

  • @ElTaitronAnim
    @ElTaitronAnim 3 года назад

    Not to diminish the incredible work you've done here, but I couldn't help but mentally finish "but that all changed" with "when the Fire Nation attacked" at 2:16.
    Looking forward to part 2!

  • @kevinstreetgaming
    @kevinstreetgaming 3 года назад +2

    Awesome guys! Looking forward to part 2!

  • @rikkuricky
    @rikkuricky 3 года назад +5

    This is incredible! Out of curiosity, where did you find footage of some of the older games? Can't wait for more docs like this.

  • @FLIK510
    @FLIK510 3 года назад +2

    Great stuff, pro level documentary.

  • @DaRkLoRd-rc5yu
    @DaRkLoRd-rc5yu 3 года назад +3

    Wow I'm blown away by how good this documentary is. Well done guys i can't wait for the rest to come out.

    • @FinalFantasyUnion
      @FinalFantasyUnion  3 года назад +1

      Thank you Darklord, that means a lot! We'll hopefully have the next part out a lot quicker than this one took :)

  • @rick942net
    @rick942net 3 года назад +3

    IBM 5100 - Thanks for putting that in here. At least we know it exists in this world line.

  • @baebeenut6582
    @baebeenut6582 3 года назад +2

    Amazing video! I was completely hooked from the start!!!

    • @FinalFantasyUnion
      @FinalFantasyUnion  3 года назад +2

      Thank you Baebee, glad to hear you enjoyed the documentary!

  • @BLitzRunner77
    @BLitzRunner77 3 года назад

    I didn't expect you to go back as far as WW2. Thanks for the work!

  • @Jfoltz39
    @Jfoltz39 3 года назад +2

    Fantastic video. Thank you