CGC Trading Cards-certified Final Fantasy Cards’ Video Game Series Counterpart

The Final Fantasy trading card game is one of the recent additions to the expert certification services offered by CGC Trading Cards™. While many people are aware of the video game series counterpart to the Final Fantasy cards, some may not know the Final Fantasy origin story. Here’s how one man’s hope and determination led to the video game that started the Final Fantasy franchise.

Released in 1987, Final Fantasy is what many consider the first Cinderella story of video games. Nintendo was introducing instantly popular titles such as Super Mario Bros, Metroid, The Legend of Zelda, Donkey Kong and more. However, Square (known as Square Enix today) was on the verge of bankruptcy and had nothing to show for it after releasing several unsuccessful games. Luckily, Hironobu Sakaguchi, the company's 21-year-old Director of Planning and Development, was determined to make his mark on the industry that he loved.

Sakaguchi was tasked with creating Square’s last attempt for a successful Nintendo video game. Though Square rejected his original concept, rival company Enix’s success with Dragon Quest helped to eventually get Sakaguchi’s Final Fantasy concept approved.

Final Fantasy’s development started with a small team of seven members, some of whom had not worked on games or game mechanics before. This team gathered inspiration from various popular themes — for example, Dungeons and Dragons for character customization and football games for turn-based tactics — and utilized Sakaguchi’s storytelling to drive its production. 

The odds were against him, but Sakaguchi believed in his work and continued towards producing what would be a breakout hit. Final Fantasy sold 1.3 million copies worldwide by 1994, saving Square and beginning a historic franchise. The significance of Final Fantasy is evident, as it defines the RPG genre.

There have been 15 main title Final Fantasy releases, with spinoffs, remakes, ports, movies and more. These games have become a part of modern pop culture and informed the role-playing elements of the RPG games that we see today.

Sakaguchi is now listed as #4 on IGN’s top 100 game creators and continues to build game titles with his own company. Once his last hope, Final Fantasy continues to be a light for all aspiring game developers. For your Final Fantasy cards, CGC Trading Cards is ready to grade them!