A special event in Tokyo last week was the first step for Square Enix’s year-long celebration of Final Fantasy‘s 30th anniversary. Square Enix CEO, Yosuke Matsuda took the stage alongside Final Fantasy brand manager, Shinji Hashimoto, series composer, Nobuo Uematsu and renowned illustrator, Yoshitaka Amano to symbolically “bring the celebrations to life” by laying their hands on a large, transparent square—causing it to light up.
A special anniversary portal site has been created to keep fans abreast of events and announcements as they take place throughout the year, such as a real-life escape challenge on February 10. This one-day event in Japan will challenge fans to escape a labyrinth from the series called Bahamut in one of five locations—Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo and Fukuoka.
During the 68th annual Sapporo Snow Festival, an impressive scene from Final Fantasy VII was created featuring characters, Cloud and Sephiroth.
これを見にきた！ 大迫力。雪の重みで崩れてしまうので、クラウドの頭は小さく、腰もどっしり作られているようです。(河合) pic.twitter.com/vN7HIAkkQG
— 初心者の館＠ファミ通 (@DFF_fami) February 5, 2017
Following its odd but effective Nissin Cup Noodle partnership in Final Fantasy XV, Square Enix has teamed up with the snack food purveyor to release special, Final Fantasy-themed packaging that features bosses from the game. Why not pair your boss-themed noodles with a $950 bottle of Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary wine served in commemorative crystal glasses while you’re at it? You can enjoy your meal with this decorative fork-sword, and that also goes for dessert. Square Enix is selling three different themed cakes—Chocobo (orange and vanilla mousse), Moogle (strawberry and mascarpone mousse), and Cactuar (black chocolate and matcha mousse). Each is priced at 4,500 yen including taxes, which translates roughly to $40.
Square Enix is also hosting an anniversary sale, offering players up to 50 percent off select Final Fantasy titles and editions across PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo, Amazon and the official store through February 13. A miniature Final Fantasy calendar is on the way thanks to a partnership with popular Japanese miniature artist, Tatsuya Tanaka.
During the 30th Anniversary kick-off celebration in Tokyo, fans were treated to new key imagery for the Final Fantasy VII Remake, as well as announcements for DLC coming to Final Fantasy XV.
Technically, anniversary celebrations started last year with the launch of Final Fantasy XV in November. The title was presented to the world with much fanfare, including a special Final Fantasy XV IGN Premiere event in London. The exclusive gathering featured life-sized creature statues, game demos and even a potion-making station.
Although the campaign was activated around the launch of Final Fantasy XV, Square Enix celebrated the entire history of the franchise with #FFLegacies—inviting fans to describe how the franchise impacted their lives. “By having fans share their personal experience,” Square Enix said on the campaign website, “it serves as a reminder that much like how each Final Fantasy has a completely different story, world and characters, we all bring distinctive and new perspectives to the legacy that is Final Fantasy.”