Final Fantasy VII

In the 22 years since the stateside release of the original Final Fantasy 7, our culture and society has shifted dramatically. In the late 90s, the internet had just begun finding its way into American households. Media had found that society was tired of political correctness, and in that tiresome dissonance, companies had found that shock value was marketable. From the mid to late 90s personalities like Howard Stern, Jerry Springer, South Park, and Beavis and Butthead were not only successful, but became cultural icons in American society. This trend bled over into the video games industry, as no longer was gaming considered an hobby for adolescents and children. Games like Doom, Mortal Kombat, and Resident Evil brought droves of adults to the social sphere of gaming, and the recruitment was fast and heavy.

Squaresoft was hesitant to fully bring Final Fantasy to the states, with only releasing a handful of the franchises games stateside. They had found success in America, with Final Fantasy 6 (FF3 in America) being the best selling game at the time. Final Fantasy was still considered a ‘niche’ title at the time, only appealing to a cult following. It was not until the advertisement marketing for Final Fantasy 7 during 1997 that the market took notice of the franchise. The release of the 5^th generation of consoles had a much broader and attention grabbing appeal than those of previous generations. No longer were games relegated to sprite based graphics, they know had full 3d and cinematic scenes like those in movies and television shows. Squaresoft was very confident in the Final Fantasy 7 project and decided to take a gamble in America and pull the trigger. Sony’s marketing team was given a large advertising budget, and was told that Final Fantasy 7 was a tent-pole release, and that it was a make or break release that hinged heavily on how they would market the game.

Instead of treating Final Fantasy 7 as a video game, they marketed the game like a AAA movie. TV spots leaned heavily on the CGI and action sequences, and did not get too caught up in worrying about explaining what a rpg was to a casual audience. The marketing team did not let up, they had a multiple prong plan to get as much exposure as possible. They hit up all of the Video Game magazines and did multiple page ads, interviews, and previews. They knew they already had the niche rpg fans, they just knew they had to build their hype. They had multiple tv spots on the biggest primetime television events: NFL football, Saturday Night Live, and the Simpsons. They even went to do a cross promotion with Pepsi. Cloud and company was now invading refrigerators across the globe.

All of this marketing and promotion could have been a complete flop if the game was not able to back up the reasoning for all of the hype. Luckily, the game was crafted beautifully. Initially, the game is relatively simple for RPG standards. It eases players in and teaches them how to play at a moderate pace, all the while keeping the player interested by the story. As the game progresses further, the game becomes more challenging , it also provides players with the right tools and teaches basic fundamentals to be successful. The game itself proved to be worthy of the marketing and able to maintain the large swath of different types of consumers. There is a reason why many people who fell in love with RPGs began with this game.

Another important factor was some of the heavy themes Final Fantasy 7 conveyed. Final Fantasy 7 built a world and lore that was relatable to most people in modern society. People could emphasize with Cloud and a search for identity and dealing with personal and professional failure. The entire theme of environmentalism was extremely relevant in the 90s, when there were many non-profits and organizations pushing for societal and government reform to protect the environment and curb detrimental processes that contributed to world pollution. People could see how a company like Shinra could use its corporate muscle to oppress the common middle and lower class. It was easy to understand why Barret and Avalanche fought Shinra in a effort to save the planet. The lifestream was something we could find parallels in reality: Large industrial conglomerates abusing the planet to acquire natural resources in any way possible, and how in their endeavors they create a impoverished and desperate society. While Midgar may be a fictional city, it is not to far fetched to look out of our windows and see Midgar in the places that we live ourselves.

22 years later, we will finally see a remake of this game that will bring the world another chance to become absorbed in the world of Midgar. This time around the game shall be much more detailed, and much more alive. In 2020, it feels as if Final Fantasy 7 will be even more relevant than before. Society has much more at stake in confronting issues like the environment, self-acceptance, camaraderie, and loss. More and more people will play this game and find the exploits of Cloud and his entourage are not parody, but a caricature of modern society. It is these reasons why Final Fantasy 7 will always be a timeless masterpiece, forever implanted in to our hearts and minds for many reasons.