In a special message released for those waiting for Fantasian: Neo Dimension, Nobuo Uematsu left a message behind, revealing that the music in the game is his final musical project and that he is retiring from music. For those who may not recognize the name, he is one of the most iconic composers when it comes to video game music, as he became the primary composer for the Final Fantasy franchise, helping create some of the most iconic scores that shaped the series.
His compositions consist of anything from orchestral to rock and even electronica, with his music able to move players during powerful scenes, especially in games like Final Fantasy 7 and Final Fantasy XIV, which are full of shocking plot twists and scenes that will outright break your heart. He has worked alongside composers like Masayoshi Soken and Naoshi Mizuta to create some of the best tracks for these games. Not only is he the mainstay composer in many of the games, but he single-handedly composed the soundtracks for Final Fantasy 1 through to Final Fantasy 9 before other Japanese composers joined the roster to help create some powerful music.
Some of his most famous pieces include One-Winged Angel from Final Fantasy VII and To Zanarkand from Final Fantasy X. While he is predominantly known for working on Final Fantasy’s scores, he has also created music for other games and franchises, such as Lost Odyssey, Chrono Trigger, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
At the beginning of his career, he worked exclusively with Square before leaving the company in 2004 to make his own production company named Dog Ear Records. This is where he started working on compositions for games such as Lord of Vermillion, Xenoblade Chronicles, and Fantasy Life. Nobuo Uematsu is so highly regarded that he is considered the Beethoven of game music, as claimed by the UK radio station Classic FM, with Uematsu being listed in the Classic FM Hall of Fame.
The message posted to X is short—only twelve seconds long—but it encapsulates everything you need to know about his retirement. Comments of love and praise flood in, with many expressing how he helped shape their love for games and Final Fantasy. He has clarified that he won’t be composing the entire soundtrack for Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 3 but instead will be doing the main theme of the game, with other composers taking over to do the rest of the score for the game.
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