Final Fantasy Tactics
Final Fantasy Tactics[lower-alpha 1] is a tactical role-playing game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation video game console. Released in Japan in June 1997 and in the United States in January 1998 by Sony Computer Entertainment, it is the first game of the Tactics series within the Final Fantasy franchise, and the first entry set in the fictional world later known as Ivalice. The story follows Ramza Beoulve, a highborn cadet placed in the middle of a military conflict known as The Lion War, where two opposing noble factions are coveting the throne of the kingdom.
| Final Fantasy Tactics | |
|---|---|
 North American box art | |
| Developer(s) | Square |
| Publisher(s) |
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| Director(s) | Yasumi Matsuno |
| Producer(s) | Hironobu Sakaguchi |
| Designer(s) | Hiroyuki Ito |
| Programmer(s) | Taku Murata |
| Artist(s) | Hiroshi Minagawa Akihiko Yoshida Hideo Minaba |
| Writer(s) | Yasumi Matsuno |
| Composer(s) | Hitoshi Sakimoto Masaharu Iwata |
| Series | Final Fantasy Tactics |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Tactical role-playing game |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Production began in 1995 by Yasumi Matsuno, a newcomer who had created the Ogre Battle series at Quest Corporation. Matsuno's wish was for an accessible tactical game with a storyline focusing on class-based conflict and the rewriting of history. Matsuno acted as director and writer, Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi was producer, and the battles were designed by Hiroyuki Ito. Multiple other staff members were veterans of the Ogre Battle series, including artists Hiroshi Minagawa and Akihiko Yoshida, and composers Hitoshi Sakimoto and Masaharu Iwata.
The game received critical acclaim from gaming magazines and websites and has become a cult classic since its release. It sold about 1.24 million units in Japan during 1997, and over 2.4 million worldwide by August 2011. It has been cited as one of the greatest video games of all time. The world of Ivalice saw the setting for multiple other titles, including other Tactics games and the 2006 mainline entry Final Fantasy XII. An enhanced port of Final Fantasy Tactics, Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions, was released in 2007 as part of the Ivalice Alliance project.