The legendary composer of the Final Fantasy series, Nobuo Uematsu, recently shared that Square operated with a unique sense of financial audacity during the development of Final Fantasy IX. According to him, the company was prosperous enough to relocate the entire development team to Hawaii without a concrete plan, where staff members even treated themselves to customized, game-themed license plates.
The late 1990s are often cited as Square’s golden era. Between 1997 and 2000, the studio delivered a relentless streak of masterpieces, including Final Fantasy VII, Parasite Eve, Final Fantasy VIII, and Vagrant Story. Buoyed by this unprecedented commercial success, Uematsu recalls a period where the company’s spending became increasingly extravagant.
In a detailed conversation with Famitsu, Uematsu reflected on how the decision to move production to Hawaii was driven primarily by atmosphere. “I still wonder what the exact reasoning was,” he admitted. “Perhaps Sakaguchi-san simply wanted to live there. Square had a certain recklessness back then; there wasn’t a rigid strategy. It was more of a ‘vibes-based’ belief that if we moved to Hawaii, the creative energy would follow.”
The company’s generosity went far beyond just covering relocation costs. Veteran game artist Hideo Minaba has previously shared glimpses of his life in the islands, including a personalized license plate reading ‘FF9378’—a clever play on his name in Japanese. Uematsu noted that this wasn’t an isolated case.
“Public transport wasn’t ideal in Hawaii at the time, so everyone ended up buying cars,” Uematsu explained. “I had my own ‘FF9’ plate. However, I remember seeing an American animator with a plate that read ‘ani-m8r’ and feeling a bit sheepish. I thought, ‘Why did I go with something as literal as FF9?'”
During this expansion, Square was actively recruiting international talent to bolster the Final Fantasy IX team, offering competitive salaries that reflected the industry’s boom. In an era where modern gaming news is often dominated by budget cuts and downsizing, Uematsu’s recollections offer a nostalgic look at a time of immense prosperity and creative freedom.
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Source: gamesradar.com
