Syzygy After watching this i went on to be absolutely engrossed by this video:
What a fascinating and complicated history (I’m sure with even more twists and turns that even this hour-long video did not even broach). I quickly realized that I actually knew next to nothing about Nihon Falcom and now feel like a little bit less of a poser hanging around IC! Seriously, this should probably be required viewing around here.
This story made me wonder what an alternate history would have been like if Falcom had somehow broken through in the west as well as (or better than) companies like Square or Enix. Between the repeated mass exoduses, failed publishing deal with Origin, hesitancy to embrace consoles, and conservative business practices its no wonder that they did not see an early western breakthrough (and honestly surprising that they were able to keep it together at all). What’s even more fascinating is the incubator-like quality of the studio, with high profile departures going on to produce or contribute to some of the most well-known video game and anime franchises.
Thanks again for bringing this channel to my attention, my eyes have been opened.
edit: Apologies to @Pasokon Deacon for somehow completely missing their recommendation for this specific video higher up! Thank you as well!