With several decades behind it, the gaming industry has managed to establish its official history, but it's also a reality that part of it has been constructed within gaming communities. It's not uncommon for certain events or facts to be taken as true, even without a way to verify them or without conducting the necessary research. Recently, one of those ideas deeply rooted in the collective imagination inspired by Final Fantasy has come to an end after three decades.
Final Fantasy as a name did not originate from Squaresoft's financial ruin
Millions of Final Fantasy fans have recounted the origin of the franchise, back when Squaresoft, now Square Enix, was in dire financial straits and the RPG would be their final game. That's why the name we all know was chosen. Success changed everything, and the company rose to the top. However, this was not the case.
How were the first six Final Fantasy games created?
— FINAL FANTASY (@FinalFantasy) July 11, 2023
Series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, Art Director Kazuko Shibuya, and Brand Manager Yoshinori Kitase reflect bringing these incredible adventures to life: https://t.co/llpoXmwnVD
The video is in Japanese with English subtitles. pic.twitter.com/0GIQ4NHue8
According to Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of the IP, the name Final Fantasy had nothing to do with Squaresoft's financial situation. According to Sakaguchi, at that time, their biggest rival, Dragon Quest, was already known by its initials, DQ, which served many marketing purposes. From there, the responsible parties for this emerging Japanese role-playing game at Squaresoft thought it would be a good idea to do something similar, and one of the names that had been considered was Fighting Fantasy.
Sakaguchi revealed that this name would allow them to use the initials FF, but when they checked the legal situation regarding copyright, they discovered that registering and using the name Fighting Fantasy was nearly impossible.
The creative director shared that while they were searching for a name for the game, he received a letter from fans who told him an anecdote about an elementary school teacher who wrote Final Fantasy on the blackboard during one of their classes and referred to it as the last illusion of humankind. Immediately, Sakaguchi and his team decided that the franchise would be called Final Fantasy, and the rest... is history.
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