Square "collapsed" following the departure of Final Fantasy creator, says composer Nobuo Uematsu
Legendary composer Nobuo Uematsu, best known for his work on Final Fantasy, has revealed that Square was left in an “awful” situation following the departure of franchise creator Hironobu Sakaguchi in the early 2000s.
The details:
During a recent episode of Uematsu’s podcast NOBIYO To Isshoni (via Automaton), Sakaguchi discussed their time at Square throughout the 1980s and 90s until his departure from the company in 2003 prior to its merger with Dragon Quest developer Enix. Uematsu revealed that the Final Fantasy creator leaving the company led to its “collapse” due to the lack of leadership. "Square collapsed after Sakaguchi left," said Uematsu. "To put it simply - he is the big boss. Always has been and always will be."
Uematsu explained that during the company's early years, its Hiyoshi office operated more like a "club of university students" than a professional company, but that "Sakaguchi was able to manage the work even in that kind of environment." The composer described Sakaguchi as a "leader" and stated that Square “didn’t even have a proper corporate organization, yet everybody listened to him. It’s a kind of quality you just have to be born with.”
Once the beloved franchise creator left Square, it’s said that the “organisation suddenly collapsed,” which prompted Uematsu to question whether or not he should remain at Square before later leaving in 2004. "He left and the organisation suddenly collapsed,” he shared. “I thought to myself 'Oh no, I should get away from here'."
Sakaguchi directed the first five Final Fantasy titles before becoming a producer for the series until his final title with Square, Final Fantasy X-2. Sakaguchi left Square after the company's financial decline as a result of the delay of Final Fantasy X and the disappointing release of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. He then founded his own studio, Mistwalker, which released Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey, and Fantasian.
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