FF2 Game History

When Squaresoft first released Final Fantasy 1 in 1987 they had no plans for a sequal, but the game's huge success virtually demanded otherwise, and Final Fantasy 2 was released in Japan less than a year after its predecessor. Sadly North American fans were not to get their hands on the title until many years later. Though Square began a localization in 1990 the project was scrapped in favor of the release of the SNES, for which they had recently completed a local version of Final Fantasy 4. Said game was renamed to cover the gap and the story of Cecil the dark knight became North America's version of Final Fantasy 2. Firion and his friends from the original Final Fantasy 2 didn't reach US shores until 2003, as part of the Playstation compilation know as Final Fantasy Origins, which is the version I'm currently playing.

Final Fantasy 1 - The History

The game that launched the series was originally released in Japan in 1987 before being licensed by Nintendo of America for release in the US in 1990, for the original Nintendo Entertainment System. It was created by Japanese game designer Hironobu Sakaguchi whose success with the series has made him a household name in the industry. According to Wikipedia the game was released at a time when Squaresoft (now Square Enix) was facing bankruptcy. I wonder if they realized at the time what the future would bring.