Square Company, Limited 株式会社スクウェア
Type	Public (defunct)
Founded	September 1983
Headquarters	Tokyo, Japan
Key people	Christopher Combs, Chairman Robert G. Lee, President Hironobu Sakaguchi, EVP
Industry	Interactive entertainment
Products	See complete products listing.
Website	www.square-enix.com

Square Company, Limited (株式会社スクウェア, Kabushiki-gaisha Sukuwea^?) was a Japanese video game company founded in September of 1983 by Masafumi Miyamoto and Hironobu Sakaguchi. It merged with Enix in 2002 and became part of Square Enix. Image File history File links Square_logo_222. ... A public company usually refers to a company which is permitted to offer its securities (stock, bonds, etc. ... Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ... Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of Final Fantasy series Hironobu Sakaguchi (坂口 博信, born 1962) was the Director of Planning and Development for Square Co. ... Namcos Pac-Man was a hit, and became a universal phenomenon. ... A website (alternatively, Web site or web site) is a collection of Web pages, images, videos and other digital assets that is hosted on a Web server, usually accessible via the Internet or a LAN. A Web page is a document, typically written in HTML, that is almost always accessible... Namcos Pac-Man was a hit, and became a universal phenomenon. ... The term company may refer to a separate legal entity, as in English law, or may simply refer to a business, as is the common use in the United States. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ... Masafumi Miyamoto was the founder of Squaresoft in 1983. ... Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of Final Fantasy series Hironobu Sakaguchi (坂口 博信, born 1962) was the Director of Planning and Development for Square Co. ... The Enix Corporation ) was a company that produced Japanese video games and manga. ... SQUARE ENIX (Japanese: スクウェア・エニックス) is a Japanese producer of popular video games and manga. ...

History

Square's first games were released for the Nintendo Family Computer (also known as the "Famicom," and known internationally as the Nintendo Entertainment System) and the Famicom Disk System. Their early games were not very successful, and by 1987 the company was faced with the possibility of bankruptcy. That same year, Square employee Hironobu Sakaguchi was charged with the creation of a game that might well prove to be the company's last. The result was Final Fantasy, a computer role-playing game for the Famicom.^[1] Nintendo Company, Limited (任天堂 or ニンテンドー Nintendō; NASDAQ: NTDOY, TYO: 7974 usually referred to as simply Nintendo, or Big N ) is a multinational corporation founded on September 23, 1889[1] in Kyoto, Japan by Fusajiro Yamauchi to produce handmade hanafuda cards. ... The Nintendo Entertainment System (U.S., Europe, and Australia) NES redirects here. ... The Famicom Disk System, attached to a late-model AV Famicom The Family Computer Disk System (FCD) was released on February 21, 1986 by Nintendo as a peripheral to their overwhelmingly popular Family Computer (Famicom) console in Japan. ... Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of Final Fantasy series Hironobu Sakaguchi (坂口 博信, born 1962) was the Director of Planning and Development for Square Co. ... Final Fantasy ) is a console role-playing game developed and published by Square Co. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... “NES” redirects here. ...

Sakaguchi, who was considering retiring after the production of the game, named it "Final Fantasy", a reference to the game being his last as well as his exit from the gaming industry. The game was successful, however, and returned the corporation to profitability.^{[citation needed]}. Final Fantasy did much better than Sakaguchi and Square had hoped, and led to a North American distribution deal with Nintendo of America, who released to market Final Fantasy in the United States in 1990. Due to its success, Hironobu Sakaguchi's plans for retirement ended and he stayed at Square to develop new Final Fantasy games. It may also be possible that the reason every new Final Fantasy game has a new story, with new characters, is because the original Final Fantasy game was created with the belief that a sequel would never be created. World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... Nintendo Company, Limited (任天堂 or ニンテンドー Nintendō; NASDAQ: NTDOY, TYO: 7974 usually referred to as simply Nintendo, or Big N ) is a multinational corporation founded on September 23, 1889[1] in Kyoto, Japan by Fusajiro Yamauchi to produce handmade hanafuda cards. ...

Final Fantasy was followed by a sequel of sorts in 1988, marketed exclusively in Japan until Final Fantasy Origins. North American localization was originally planned for the Famicom version of the sequel, but given the age of the game at that point, and the imminent arrival of Nintendo's Super Famicom (known internationally as the Super Nintendo Entertainment System), it was abandoned in favor of the Super Famicom Final Fantasy IV. A sequel is a work of fiction in literature, film, and other creative works that is produced after a completed work, and is set in the same universe but at a later time. ... Final Fantasy Origins is a game for the PlayStation from Square Co. ... Software localization is a process of translating software user interfaces from one language to another and adapting it to suit a foreign culture. ... This article should be merged with Super Nintendo Entertainment System The Super Famicom design differed from that of the American SNES, though the controllers are almost the same. ... The Super Nintendo Entertainment System or Super NES, also known as SNES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit video game console released by Nintendo in North America, Brazil, Europe, and Australia. ... This article should be merged with Super Nintendo Entertainment System The Super Famicom design differed from that of the American SNES, though the controllers are almost the same. ... Final Fantasy IV ) is a console role-playing game developed and published by Square Co. ...

Square has also made other widely known games such as Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana, Seiken Densetsu 3, Xenogears, Brave Fencer Musashi, Parasite Eve, Parasite Eve 2, Vagrant Story, Kingdom Hearts (done in collaboration with Disney Interactive) and, to a lesser extent, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. Chrono Trigger ) is a console role-playing game developed and published by Square Co. ... Secret of Mana, known in Japan as Seiken Densetsu 2 , lit. ... Seiken Densetsu 3 Legend of the Holy Sword 3) is the third installment of the Seiken Densetsu series of console role-playing games, released exclusively for the Super Famicom by Square Co. ... Xenogears ) is a console role-playing game developed and published by Square Co. ... Brave Fencer Musashi , Brave Fencer Musashiden) is a console role-playing game (RPG) published by Squaresoft in 1998 for the Sony PlayStation. ... Parasite Eve ) is a survival horror console role-playing game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix). ... Parasite Eve is the name of a Japanese novel by Hideaki Sena, first published in Kadokawa Horror Bunko, which has been adapted into a 1997 film and a 1998 video game for the Sony PlayStation by Squaresoft. ... Vagrant Story ) is a console role-playing game developed and published by Square Co. ... Kingdom Hearts video game. ... Buena Vista Games is the video game publishing division of The Walt Disney Company. ... Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (スーパーマリオRPG) was the last Mario game made and released for the Super Famicom/Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and was the last Square-produced game for a Nintendo video game console until 2003, with the debut...

Square was one of the many companies that had planned to develop and publish their games for the Nintendo 64, but with the cheaper costs associated with developing games on CDs for the Sony PlayStation, the games were instead made for Playstation. Final Fantasy VII was one of these games, and it sold 9.8 million copies, making it the second best selling game for the Playstation. This section needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ... The Sony PlayStation ) is a video game console of the 32/64-bit era, first produced by Sony Computer Entertainment in the mid-1990s. ... Final Fantasy VII ) is a console and computer role-playing game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix), and the seventh installment in the Final Fantasy video game series. ...

Square was merged into Enix (known for the Dragon Quest series), another Japanese video game producer, in 2002 so as to curb development costs and become more competitive as a result of Square's major financial loss with Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. In April of 2003, the merger was completed, forming the new company, Square Enix. The Enix Corporation ) was a company that produced Japanese video games and manga. ... Dragon Quest logo Dragon Quest ), published as Dragon Warrior in North America until the 2005 release of Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King, is a series of role-playing games produced by Enix (now Square Enix). ... Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is a science fiction movie by Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of the Final Fantasy series of video games. ... SQUARE ENIX (Japanese: スクウェア・エニックス) is a Japanese producer of popular video games and manga. ...

Subsidiaries and related corporations

The Disk Original Group (DOG) was a union formed of no less than seven Japanese video game companies: Square Co., Ltd., MicroCabin, Thinking Rabbit, Carry Lab, System Sacom, XTALSOFT, and HummingBirdSoft. Founded July 14, 1986, Square took the lead of this promising alliance to produce games on the Famicom Disk System. Because Square headed DOG, all DOG titles were published under the name Square. In reality, however, Square only produced a few of the eleven games published under the DOG label. In general, the games were commercial failures, leading to Square's brush with bankruptcy and the creation of Final Fantasy. Image File history File links Disk_original_group_logo_2. ... Thinking Rabbit was a software house based in Takarazuka, Japan, and are the original publishers of Sokoban. ... Carry Lab (Japanese: キャリーラボ) is a defunct Japanese software house. ... System Sacom is a gaming development company. ... XTALSOFT ) was a Japanese software house established in 1982 to develop games for Japanese computers. ... HummingBirdSoft ) is a defunct Japanese video game company. ... July 14 is the 195th day of the year (196th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ... The Famicom Disk System, attached to a late-model AV Famicom The Family Computer Disk System (FCD) was released on February 21, 1986 by Nintendo as a peripheral to their overwhelmingly popular Family Computer (Famicom) console in Japan. ... Final Fantasy ) is a console role-playing game developed and published by Square Co. ...

SquareSoft is a brand name used by Square between 1992 and 2003. As such, the name is often used (incorrectly) to refer to the entire organization, but its corporate name remained Square Co., Ltd. until the Enix merger. This article is about brands in marketing. ...

Square Soft, Inc. was established as the official North American subsidiary of Square in March 1989. It was responsible for both the production and distribution of North American localizations of Square titles during the 16-bit era, and continued to produce English language localizations of Square games in the 32-bit era. It has also been responsible for localizing a number of non-Square titles, including Capcom's Breath of Fire for the SNES and Sony's Wild ARMs 3 for the PlayStation 2. It developed the game Secret of Evermore for the SNES. It is currently known as Square Enix, Inc. Square Soft's original headquarters were in Redmond, WA, where it distributed its now-dead newsletter, the Ogopogo Examiner, but it was relocated to Costa Mesa, CA in August 1996, where it remained until late 2005; as of 2006, Square Enix, Inc. is now located in El Segundo, California. In the history of video games, the 16-bit era was the fourth generation of video game consoles. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... In the history of computer and video games, the 32-bit / 64-bit era was the fifth generation of video game consoles. ... For the original NASA meaning, see capsule communicator. ... This article or section contains a plot summary that is too long or excessively detailed. ... Sony Corporation ) is a Japanese multinational corporation and one of the worlds largest media conglomerates with revenue of $68. ... Wild Arms 3, often referred to as Wild Arms Advanced 3rd, is the sequel to Wild Arms and Wild Arms 2 (aka Wild Arms 2nd Ignition). ... The PlayStation 2 , abbreviated PS2) is Sonys second video game console, the successor to the PlayStation and the predecessor to the PlayStation 3. ... Secret of Evermore, released in North America on September 18, 1995, is a role playing video game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System video game console. ... Redmond is a city located in King County, Washington. ... The Ogopogo Examiner was a newsletter distributed by Square Soft, Inc. ... Costa Mesa is a city located in Orange County, California. ... The El Segundo skyline, as seen from Sepulveda Boulevard (CA/SR-1) El Segundo is a city in Los Angeles County, California on the Santa Monica Bay, incorporated on January 18, 1917. ...

Square L.A., Inc. was established in August 1995. It was subsequently renamed Square USA, Inc.. It operates as a high-end computer-generated imagery research and development studio, and has been integral in the production of graphics for Square-produced games since the beginning of the 32-bit era. Its headquarters are in Los Angeles, CA and Honolulu, HI. Like its sister company, Square Soft, Inc., Square USA is a wholly owned subsidiary of Square Co., Ltd. Computer-generated imagery (commonly abbreviated as CGI) is the application of the field of computer graphics (or more specifically, 3D computer graphics) to special effects in films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media. ... This article is about the largest city in California. ... Honolulu as seen from the International Space Station Honolulu is the largest city and the capital of the U.S. state of Hawai‘i. ...

Square Electronic Arts, L.L.C. was a joint venture between Square and Electronic Arts (EA) established in May 1998 to distribute Square-produced game titles in North America. Its counterpart was Electronic Arts Square, K.K., in Japan, which was established to distribute EA games in Asia. Both companies were folded at the end of March 2003 as a result of the merger of Square and Enix. Square Electronic Arts L.L.C., also known as Square EA, was a joint venture between console video game developers Square Co. ... EA redirects here. ... Electronic Arts Square K.K. was created during the joint venture of companies Square Co. ... World map showing the location of Asia. ...

Square Europe, Ltd. was established in December 1998 to localize and market Square-developed games in Europe and Australia. Located in London, England, Square Europe was granted exclusive publishing rights in Europe and other PAL territories for all interactive entertainment titles developed by Square. World map showing the location of Europe. ...

DigiCube Co, Ltd. was established in February 1996. It was formed to market and distribute games and related merchandising (toys, books, music, etc.) in Asia. It declared bankruptcy in October 2003. DigiCube Co. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... [1]#redirect Book ... // Music is an art form consisting of sound and silence expressed through time. ... World map showing the location of Asia. ... Notice of closure stuck on the door of a computer store the day after its parent company, Granville Technology Group Ltd, declared bankruptcy (strictly, put into administration - see text) in the UK. Bankruptcy is a legally declared inability or impairment of ability of an individual or organizations to pay their...

Square Pictures, Inc. was established in November 1997 to develop and produce computer-generated imagery films based on Square properties. It was folded in 2003, following the box-office failure of its only feature-length production, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. However, it did survive just long enough to create the CGI short-film, Final Flight of the Osiris for The Matrix spin-off DVD, Animatrix. Square Pictures, located in Honolulu, Hawaii, was a computer-animated film division of Square Co. ... Computer-generated imagery (commonly abbreviated as CGI) is the application of the field of computer graphics (or more specifically, 3D computer graphics) to special effects in films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media. ... Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is a science fiction movie by Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of the Final Fantasy series of video games. ... Final Flight of the Osiris is one of nine short films in The Animatrix series, which reveals more about the world of The Matrix. ... The Matrix is a 1999 science fiction action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski and starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano and Hugo Weaving. ... A spin-off (or spinoff) is a new organization or entity formed by a split from a larger one such as a new company formed from a university research group. ... DVD (Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc) is an optical disc storage media format that can be used for data storage, including movies with high video and sound quality. ... The Animatrix is a collection of nine CG and anime shorts set in the world of The Matrix, partly written by the Wachowski brothers. ...

Quest was an independent software development studio established in July 1988, best known for the Ogre Battle series. Several team members, including Yasumi Matsuno, Hiroshi Minagawa and Akihiko Yoshida, left Quest in 1997 to join Square, where they worked on several titles for the Sony PlayStation, including Final Fantasy Tactics and Vagrant Story. In June 2002, Quest was purchased by Square. Quest Corporation ) was a Japanese video game company founded in 1988. ... Ogre Battle may refer to: Ogre Battle (song) Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen This is a disambiguation page: a list of articles associated with the same title. ... The Sony PlayStation ) is a video game console of the 32/64-bit era, first produced by Sony Computer Entertainment in the mid-1990s. ... Final Fantasy Tactics ) (often abbreviated as FFT) is a tactical role-playing game developed and published by Square Co. ... Vagrant Story ) is a console role-playing game developed and published by Square Co. ...

Square Visual Works Co., Ltd. (CG Studio), Square Sounds Co., Ltd. (Sound Studio), Squartz Co., Ltd. (Quality Assurance) and Square Next Co., Ltd. were all founded in June 1999. All were subsequently absorbed into Square Co., Ltd. in 2001 and 2002.

Softography

Main article: List of Square Enix games#Square Co.

List of games developed by Square Enix and the defunct companies Square Co. ...

References

• Square Enix Company Timeline. Accessed on May 12, 2005.
• "Square Completes Acquisition of Quest." IGN Game Boy. June 19, 2002. Accessed on January 18, 2005.

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... February 17 is the 48th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Square Enix Global site
• History of Enix and Square (official site)
• The History of Square