In 1997, the Final Fantasy series went from niche to blockbuster. There’s no denying what a huge, huge, huge deal Final Fantasy VII was for the role-playing game genre and for Square. So when Final Fantasy VIII appeared at E3 1998, it was a big deal! The next entry in one of PlayStation’s biggest franchises was here. Except they fucked it up so bad that you won’t believe it.
FF8 first debuted in Japan on May 15, 1998, with a press event in Japan that revealed some early details about Squall and Laguna, as well as a couple glimpses of the Dollet mission, which I almost called “Bombing Mission” while I was typing this because I was just writing about Final Fantasy VII. This conference was widely written up in the press, and it’s fun going back to articles from this period that breathlessly speculate about what role Laguna will play in the story.
A few weeks later, Square and Electronic Arts held a joint press conference at E3 1998 in Atlanta to talk more about their slate of upcoming titles, including Final Fantasy VIII. Although the game was first shown in Japan a few weeks earlier, I guarantee that most people in attendance at E3 had not seen the game before. This was effectively the game’s premiere for the English-speaking gaming press, and I can only imagine how high the anticipation was.
In my day job, we recently digitized what I believe is the only surviving footage of that press conference. I say that with confidence, because at the start of the conference, they specifically ask for no video recording during the AV portion of the presentation. Oops!!!!! This is on the same tape as Nintendo’s 1998 conference where they unveil some shit called “Pokémon” that I’m sure everyone has already forgotten about.
(I will model good behavior here and provide correct attribution: this video was donated to the Video Game History Foundation by Anthony Parisi.)
Now keep in mind, this was a different era for video game promotion, still years away from the sort of gigantic over-the-top events we usually associate with E3 and the like. So please bear that in mind when I show you the Square-EA press conference, which looks more like a panel at an anime con.
So this was kind of a big deal! They got the heads of both companies to come out for this presentation. The anticipation kicks off immediately, with a flurry of flashes as the press grabs their photos of the event before the demonstration begins.
They talk for a while about why Square and EA have gone into business together, and why they are taking this route instead of licensing to Sony like they had done for Final Fantasy VII. It’s all interesting, but it’s a preamble for the main event. It’s time to show off the trailer for… FINAL FUCKING FANTASY EIGHT.
They kick things over to the projection screen…
…dramatic music starts to play…
…and nothing appears .
One person whistles sarcastically. A Japanese voice off-camera seems concerned about what’s happening.
The music stops. Everyone laughs. Someone says “Sorry, just one minute.” Everyone laughs again nervously.
Silence fills the room. Some wiseguy takes a flash photo of the blank screen.
One minute has passed.
Finally, the lights go down, and the music comes back up. This is it!
Still nothing. More nervous laughter followed by excruciating silence. The lights come back up.
Silence continues. Someone fiddles with the projector settings. Surely that must be the problem.
The lights come back down. It’s showtime!
Once again, there is audio but no video. The audience grows restless, and the lights come back up. Nobody laughs this time.
Three minutes have passed.
The camera cuts back to the table of visibly annoyed executives wondering why the fucking video isn’t playing. It’s not clear how much time has passed.
Suddenly, a breakthrough! It’s Squall! Then the video cuts off again. Is something wrong with the tape player, or the projector?. Do you think the Georgia World Congress Center had an AV staff for problems like this?
Stalling for time, the PR person smartly decides to take Q&A from the audience. Questions include who’s composing the soundtrack and how the Square-EA partnership will improve the localization process.
Mr. Takechi is drowned out for a moment by the warbling test tone of the videotape.
Finally, FINALLY, they get the video working. The presentation begins seven minutes after it was supposed to start.
The audience ROARS with approval as the cutscene begins!
But then it fucks up again. The room is in disarray. Sarcastic applause, hooting and hollering from the audience.
The camcorder footage cuts forward again. This time, the video actually plays! For real!
It’s a sizzle reel from the Dollet mission, scored by stock music. It lasts 1’15”. As the trailer cuts off, the audience sits in confused silence. Was that the end? The man behind the camcorder mutters “Is that it?” and chuckles in mild bewilderment.
At minimum, the audience waited about eight minutes to see that trailer. With all the cuts in the video, it was probably closer to ten minutes. The US premiere of the most anticipated game in the history of Square has gone over like a damp squib.
I empathize with the poor AV techs trying to get an analog Japanese videotape to play correctly under immense pressure. But boy, this sucks. When you run into problems like this, and you’re in the audience, all you can really do is get in the boat with everybody else. But what should have been a sneak peek at a major upcoming title turned into an extended boondoggle that made the short length of the video clip more disappointing.
AGAIN, old E3s were very different than what they ended up becoming. This was a briefing for the press, not a presentation meant to be viewed by the public. The expectations for event like this were very different than they are today. With that said, could you imagine the shitstorm if this had been at a public-facing convention? It would’ve made Konami’s E3 2010 conference look like the fucking Olympic opening ceremonies.
Luckily, Final Fantasy VIII was a stunning triumph and anyone who judged the game negatively based on this press conference had their face melted off like that wax guy in Indiana Jones.