Known in several circles as the "John Williams of videogame music," Nobuo Uematsu is widely considered one of the best composers in gaming history. A self-taught musician, Uematsu-san began working for SquareSoft in 1985, when an acquaintance (and part-time Square employee) offered him a job creating music for the game known as Genesis. His work on the score was good enough to land him a full-time position as part of Square's composing team, where he scored several games for the NES and Famicom Disc Systems while working part-time at a music rental store. In 1987, he met Hironobu Sakaguchi and agreed to compose the music for a game that would either make or break the entire company, which was on the verge of bankruptcy; that game was Final Fantasy.
Final Fantasy's soundtrack gained attention for its distinctive melodies and unique style. Following the game's success, Square hired Uematsu-san as the composer for the next installment in the franchise. He remained in that position for over a decade, writing the music for the IP's first ten titles. In addition to his many Final Fantasies, he also composed tracks in Chrono Trigger, Front Mission: Gun Hazard, and even Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
Uematsu's music has had a massive impact on videogame soundtracks. His love ballad for Final Fantasy VIII, titled Eyes on Me and sung by Chinese pop star Faye Wong, became a hit outside of the gaming community, taking home the "Song of the Year (Western Music)" award at the 14th Annual Japan Gold Disc Awards in 1999. In 2001, Uematsu-san was named as an innovator in Time Magazine's Time 100: The Next Wave - Music feature, and his composition "Theme of Love" from Final Fantasy IV was used in a Japanese piano music book intended for grade school students.
In 2004, Uematsu-san left Square-Enix and formed his own company, Smile Please. He continues to compose music for Square-Enix as a freelancer, as well as for Hironobu Sakaguchi's company, Mistwalker.