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Outside of the Gaming World: Square's Risks and Failures

By: wsim

     Square has been best known for its outstanding work and success in the RPG realm of things, but some of you may not be aware that they have also tried to do various projects away from just videogames.  I'm not entirely surprised that the vast majority of people who do know FF have not really heard much about some of their entries in the animation scene for instance.  On record, Square has officially produced two short-lived anime series that revolves around the FF universe, however they weren't really based on any game in the series with the exception of FFV.  Their first attempt at breaking through the anime scene was when they released FF: Legend of the Crystals in Japan around 1994, which also saw a future US release in 1998.  It was largely based on the setting of FFV in the distant future.  However, it was a rather mediocre anime and it wasn't anything impressive or special when compared with many other series.  Square tried to redeem itself again when they released their new FF-related anime in FF Unlimited in 2003.  It only aired for 25 episodes due to poor ratings and a general lack of interest from viewers.  Unfortunately, while it had some decent aspects, the overall production was lacklustre and never developed the appeal that Square hoped it would receive.  I'm not sure if Square would ever want to try another crack at the anime scene again but given their poor track record in their previous two animes, things seem doubtful.  Maybe they just don't have the right group of people to produce an intriguing anime series.

     Then there is Square's infamous disaster in the movie arena.  With some fanfare and hype among gamers in general, Square released a CG-based action movie called Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.  It was not based on any FF games and only offered a few faint references and hints of the actual franchise that were hard to find and recognize.  The movie turned out to be more of a science-fiction based action thriller than any real sense of urgency and the drama found in typical RPG storylines.  There was very little development between most of the main characters and despite wooing some big-name voice acting talents, the movie happened to be one of the biggest flops in US film history.  With a very high development cost, the movie needed to have some strong box-office sales in order to break even, let alone make a profit.  The CG is quite impressive in the film but it came at a very risky and high price.  The movie didn't have very good sales in North America and Square pictures went out of business.  You can safely say that after this disaster, Square does not have any future plans on entering the film market again.

     It is true that some of Square's other non-RPG related game titles haven't received the best of reviews either.  Their 3D fighting title, Ergheiz is mediocre and the fighting engine is very sluggish.  FFVII: Dirge of Cerberus, which is an action-based shooter starring Vincent, received cautious and average reviews across most of the major Japanese gaming magazines.  However, if we look ahead to what Square has done recently then you can have some confidence that Square is always trying to innovate and produce new ideas of creativity among their company.  In the corporate world, there is risk and reward.  Unfortunately for Square, most of the time it has turned out to be quite a poor result.  But this is a company who owes its entire foundation and prolonged existence/success on risk.  For those that remember, Final Fantasy I was supposed to be Square's final game title and the company devoted its entire efforts and budget to making that game as successful as it could be.  The game sparked the growth of the FF series and salvaged Square as a whole.  Don't expect Square to give up on their "risk-taking" history and roots.  Without ambition and taking risks, Square and Final Fantasy may not be here today.  As the old saying goes:  "If you fail, try and try again till you get it right".  For all of Square's failures, they have been more than successful and influential enough to carry on and continue.