Series Timeline - Final Fantasy
The Final Fantasy timeline acts as a historical overview and chronological versions of the Final Fantasy franchise, a Japanese fantasy and science fiction video game franchise originally created by Hironobu Sakaguchi . The franchise is owned and developed by Square Enix and is centered around fantasy role-playing video games, but a number of spin-off games and other related media have also been released. The first game in the series, simply titled Final Fantasy, was released in Japan on December 17, 1987, for the Nintendo Entertainment System (Famicom in Japan) and has since spawned fourteen other main titles. These entries have been released on a range of different platforms, including the PC, PlayStation 4, Steam, Xbox 360, PSP, and many more.
The next main title, scheduled for release on April 10, 2020, is Final Fantasy VII Remake. While it is technically a remake, Yoshinori Kitase , the producer of Final Fantasy VII Remake , does not consider the game to be simply an updated version of the original game. He goes on to say that the remake will delve into the game's world "much deeper than ever before." Overall, the Final Fantasy franchise has achieved great success and holds a significant place in gaming history as it continues to thrive. Final Fantasy games are also often cited as some of the best video games ever created. This colossal video game franchise recently celebrated its 30th anniversary and is on track to reach its 35th anniversary. Final Fantasy shows no signs of slowing down. Throughout its thirty-year history, Final Fantasy has spawned some of the most iconic characters and creatures that are instantly recognizable, even to those unfamiliar with Final Fantasy . Some of these creatures include the Moogles and Chocobos , which are often considered the franchise's mascots. The name "Final Fantasy" was chosen because Hironobu Sakaguchi's first few games released at Square Enix were failures, and he decided he would either make one "last" effort or return to college. To the surprise of Sakaguchi and the entire company, their supposedly final game was a huge success, prompting them to create a second Final Fantasy and, eventually, many more. Since the core of the Final Fantasy franchise is the flagship game series, this timeline will focus on the release dates of the major titles:
- Square - Created in 1983
- Final Fantasy 1 - December 17, 1987
- Final Fantasy 2 - December 17, 1988
- Final Fantasy 3 - April 27, 1990
- Final Fantasy 4 - July 19, 1991
- Final Fantasy 5 - December 6, 1992
- Final Fantasy 6 - April 2, 1994
- Final Fantasy 7 - January 31, 1997
- Final Fantasy Tactics - June 20, 1997
- Final Fantasy 8 - February 11, 1999
- Final Fantasy 9 - July 7, 2000
- Final Fantasy 10 - July 19, 2001
- Final Fantasy 11 - May 16, 2002
- Final Fantasy X-2 - March 13, 2003
- Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles - February 15, 2004
- Cerberus's Dirge: Final Fantasy VII - January 26, 2006
- Final Fantasy 12 – March 16, 2006
- Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII - September 13, 2007
- Dissidia Final Fantasy - December 18, 2008
- Final Fantasy 13 - December 17, 2009
- Final Fantasy 14 - September 30, 2010
- Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy – March 3, 2011
- Final Fantasy Type 0 - October 27, 2011
- The World of Final Fantasy – October 25, 2016
- Final Fantasy 15 – November 29, 2016
- Final Fantasy VII Remake - Release date: April 10, 2020 (as of February 2020)
Other important dates
Here are some other important dates in the Final Fantasy franchise's history.
Merger of Square and Enix - April 1, 2003
Although the company is now known as "Square Enix," the current company is actually two merged companies: Square and Enix. Both companies were beloved by fans for their respective role-playing games (Square had Final Fantasy while Enix had Dragon Quest ). Due to their similarities and a mutual desire to reduce development costs, a merger between the two companies was considered for several years before 2003, but it was Square's success with Final Fantasy X and Kingdom Hearts that led to the merger being confirmed.
Final Fantasy 20th Anniversary Company - 2007 and 2008
Many games were released during this time under the name Final Fantasy 20th Anniversary project. These games included the PlayStation Portable enhanced ports Final Fantasy None, Final Fantasy II , and Final Fantasy None Tactics. Dissidia was another game released as part of this project that brought together a number of characters from various Final Fantasy characters together in one game. A collection of books titled Ultimania: The 20th Anniversary of Final Fantasy was also released in 2008. These books collected a variety of information, illustrations, and notes on many Final Fantasy games released over the years. This original version was only available in Japan, however, for the 25th anniversary five years later, these books were updated to include all major titles up to Final Fantasy XIV and were released internationally. The English version was named Final Fantasy Ultimania None Archives
