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Gaming Historica | The Complete Story of Enix | Translation Transcribe

Published: April 19th 2025, 2:26:00 am

Did you know Enix who are now Square Enix began as publisher of advertisement? It is so interesting! Today I have transcribed a translation for you about their total history. Please enjoy! ♥️

The company's name is a play between the words "phoenix" and "ENIAC" (the world's first computer).

The Enix company transitioned from a modest publishing outfit into a video game powerhouse, thanks to a clever contest and the talents of a young Yuji Horii:

But before this, Enix was founded in 1975 by Yasuhiro Fukushima as Eidansha Boshu Service Center, initially focused on publishing real estate advertising tabloids. By 1982, facing an uncertain future in that market, Fukushima rebranded the company as Enix—a name inspired by the mythological Phoenix and the pioneering ENIAC computer—and set his sights on the burgeoning video game industry.

Below is flyer for Enix first ever game hobby competition:

With no in-house development team and limited resources, Fukushima took a bold and unconventional approach: he launched the "Enix Game Hobby Program Contest." This nationwide competition, advertised in computer and manga magazines, offered a ¥1 million (roughly $10,000 USD at the time) prize for the best game prototype that Enix could publish. The idea was to tap into Japan’s growing pool of amateur programmers and hobbyists, outsourcing creativity to find fresh talent. Among the winners was Yuji Horii, a freelance writer for Weekly Shōnen Jump with a passion for games, who submitted a simple yet engaging tennis game called Love Match Tennis. Another winner was Koichi Nakamura, a skilled programmer, with his puzzle game Door Door. These entries caught Fukushima’s attention, and both Horii and Nakamura would soon become central figures in Enix’s rise.

Below pic is original Enix building. Here has the Square Enix logo on the door but actually the company building has now move somewhere else:

The contest didn’t just yield a few games—it sparked a creative partnership that changed gaming history. Horii and Nakamura teamed up, and with Enix’s backing, they began exploring new ideas. Their first notable collaboration was The Portopia Serial Murder Case in 1983, an adventure game that introduced narrative depth to Japanese PC gaming. But the real breakthrough came when they pitched an ambitious idea: a role-playing game (RPG) for the Famicom (Nintendo’s NES). Inspired by Western RPGs like *Ultima* and *Wizardry*, Horii wanted to craft a more accessible, story-driven experience for Japanese players. Enix greenlit the project, and in 1985, development began on Dragon Quest. Horii brought in composer Koichi Sugiyama for the score and Dragon Ball artist Akira Toriyama for the visuals, creating a dream team that elevated the game’s appeal.

When Dragon Quest launched in 1986, it wasn’t an instant hit—sales started slow. But word of mouth spread, and its blend of approachable gameplay, charming characters, and a rich world struck a chord. It eventually sold over a million copies in Japan, birthing a franchise that became Enix’s cornerstone. This success wasn’t just luck; it was a testament to Fukushima’s gamble on untested talent and Horii’s vision to adapt a niche genre for a broader audience. From a contest born of necessity, Enix found the spark that turned it into a name synonymous with RPG greatness, setting the stage for its eventual merger with Square decades later.

I hope you enjoyed this history !! This took me a long time to make 😄