Square (company)
K. K. Square (Japanese株式会社 スクウェアKabushiki - gaisha Sukuwea, Eng. Square Co., Ltd.). Was a Japanese video game company, which was founded in 1983 by Masafumi Miyamoto and Hironobu Sakaguchi.
The company is famous for the development of various role-playing games, including the very successful world Final Fantasy series. Other well-known series and games are Chrono Trigger, Kingdom Hearts, Seiken Densetsu (Secret of Mana ), SaGa and Xenogears.
Squares first games were ( internationally as the Nintendo Entertainment System known) released for the Nintendo Famicom and the Famicom Disk System and some NEC PCs. The early games were not very successful and the company was in 1987 against the bankruptcy. In the same year Hironobu Sakaguchi was awarded the contract to develop a game that the last of the company could very well have been. The result was Final Fantasy, a console role-playing game for the Famicom. Final Fantasy exceeded the expectations of Square and saved the company from ruin.
2002 Square merged with the also very popular Japanese video game developer Enix (Dragon Quest and Terranigma ) in order to reduce development costs and the losses, the Square by the failure of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within suffered compensate. The merger was completed in April 2003 and the two companies merged into Square Enix. In 2003, net sales amounted to 40 billion yen.
Subsidiaries and related companies
On July 14, 1986, included the seven Japanese video game company Square Co., Ltd.. Micro Cabin, Thinking Rabbit, Carry Lab, System sacom, XTALSOFT and HummingBirdSoft to Disk Original Group ( DOG) together. Square took the lead in this alliance, whose objective was the development of games for the Famicom Disk System. Much of the developed DOG games were released under the name Square, although the company had only a few of them made themselves. The games were by and large failures and led to the near- bankruptcy of Square.
Under the brand name Squaresoft all Square games were released between 1992 and 2003, so this name is often mistakenly equated with the company itself.
In May 1989, opened with Square Square Soft, Inc. its official North American branch. During the 16- bit era, she was responsible for both the production and the distribution of the localized title of Square in North America and produced to the 32- bit era, the English localizations of Square games. The branch is also responsible for the localization of some non -Square titles, including Capcom's Breath of Fire for Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sony's Wild ARMs 3 for the PlayStation 2 developed the game Secret of Evermore. Square Soft, Inc. was originally headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA, in August 1996, she moved to Costa Mesa, California, where it was stationed until 2005. In 2006, the renamed after the Square Enix merger to Square Enix, Inc. branch moved to El Segundo, California.
In August 1995, Square LA was founded Inc. and later renamed Square USA, Inc.. This office serves the research and development for computer-generated graphics and since the 32- bit era an important part in the production of graphics for games from Square. It has its headquarters in Los Angeles, California and Honolulu.
Square Electronic Arts, L.L.C. was founded in 1998 joint venture between Square and Electronic Arts to games developed by Square to distribute in North America. The Japanese counterpart was Electronic Arts Square, KK and took over the sales of Electronic Arts games in Asia. Both companies were terminated by the merger of Square Enix and in March 2003.
. DigiCube Co, Ltd. was established in February 1996. Task of the company was selling and distributing merchandise to Square - products in Asia. Digicube announced in October 2003 to the bankruptcy.
In February 1996, Square Pictures, Inc. was founded to develop computer- generated films for Square and produce. Due to the economic success of Miss Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, the company was dissolved, but was still able to finish the short film Final Flight of the Osiris for the matrix spin -off DVD Animatrix.
Quest was founded in 1998 an independent software development company. In 1997, several employees left the company and worked successfully on a number of titles with Square. Square Quest bought in June 2002.
In June 1999, the company Square Visual Works Co., Square Sounds Co., Ltd.. , Squartz Co., Ltd. were. Next and Square Co., Ltd.. founded. All four companies were up in 2002 by Square Co., Ltd.. absorbed.