Sakaguchi, Hironobu (1962-…), is a Japanese video game developer best known for creating the Final Fantasy series of role-playing games. A role-playing game is one that focuses on character development and problem-solving, rather than fast action. The first Final Fantasy was released in 1987. It tells the story of four “Warriors of Light” on an epic quest. Players can choose each character’s role and abilities and form their own strategies for battling enemies. Sakaguchi’s games often feature complex, character-driven stories and vast, wondrous fantasy worlds. His games are also known for their sweeping musical scores and richly-detailed visuals.
Sakaguchi was born on Nov. 25, 1962, in Hitachi, Japan. He studied electrical engineering in college, but left school in 1983 to work for the new computer game division of Denyusha, a company that built power lines. The division, called Square, became its own company in 1986, and Sakaguchi became its director of planning and development. However, Sakaguchi was unsure about his future in video games and considered going back to school to finish degree. Thinking his next game would be his last, Sakaguchi called it Final Fantasy. But the game became a huge success. Square made nine more Final Fantasy games from 1988 to 2001. Each of the games won critical acclaim.
In 2001, Square released a computer-animated motion picture, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, which Sakaguchi directed. The film was a commercial failure, causing Square to lose tens of millions of dollars. Sakaguchi left Square in 2003, and the company continued producing Final Fantasy games. In 2004, Sakaguchi formed a new game company called Mistwalker.
