“The thing about strategy guide publishing is that it’s a parasitic industry,” a stark statement from Doug Walsh, an industry veteran with 18 years under his belt writing for giants like BradyGames and Prima. This quote perfectly encapsulates the story behind the infamous Final Fantasy IX strategy guide, a guide so flawed it became a cautionary tale in the gaming world. This wasn’t just a case of typos or missed secrets; it was a deliberate crippling of a product, born from the complex and sometimes exploitative relationship between game publishers and strategy guide creators.
Walsh, now the author of “The Walkthrough: Insider Tales from a Life in Strategy Guides,” sheds light on the often unseen machinations of this industry. His memoir delves into the highs and lows of crafting guides for countless games, big and small. However, it’s the Final Fantasy IX guide that persistently resurfaces in discussions about strategy guide missteps, representing a unique form of industry self-sabotage.
What exactly made the Final Fantasy IX strategy guide so notoriously bad? It wasn’t due to incompetence or lack of effort from the writers. Instead, it was a consequence of a strategic, arguably cynical, decision made by SquareSoft, the game’s publisher, and reluctantly carried out by BradyGames. The guide was intentionally left incomplete, a mere skeleton of what it should have been. Readers who purchased it, expecting a comprehensive walkthrough to navigate the enchanting world of Gaia and Zidane’s quest, were met with constant directives to visit PlayOnline.com, Square’s online portal.
A screenshot from Final Fantasy IX showcasing the game’s vibrant world and characters, relevant to discussions about strategy guides for the game.
PlayOnline.com, intended to be a hub for Final Fantasy online services, was the key to unlocking the “full” strategy guide experience. However, this effectively meant that players had paid for a physical product that was intentionally deficient, pushing them towards a website for crucial information. This move was met with widespread outrage from fans who felt cheated and misled. The promise of a complete Final Fantasy 9 strategy guide turned into a frustrating scavenger hunt, forcing players to jump between a book and a website, assuming they had reliable internet access at the time.
According to Walsh, the situation arose when SquareSoft informed BradyGames of their plans for PlayOnline.com. SquareSoft intended to host significant portions of the game’s strategy information exclusively on their online platform. BradyGames, fully aware of the detrimental impact this would have on the printed guide and the inevitable backlash from consumers, resisted. They attempted to negotiate, proposing that only non-essential information be relegated to the online portal. However, SquareSoft remained firm, unwilling to compromise on their vision for PlayOnline.com.
BradyGames, caught in a precarious position, faced a difficult choice. Refusing to comply with SquareSoft’s demands was not a viable option. The rights to publish strategy guides, particularly for a flagship franchise like Final Fantasy, were incredibly lucrative and fiercely competitive. Securing the guide for the upcoming Final Fantasy X was paramount for BradyGames’ financial health. Risking this future opportunity by challenging SquareSoft over the Final Fantasy IX guide was deemed too great a gamble. As Walsh explains, “Everyone at Brady knew the fans were going to be pissed off about it, but they couldn’t risk not getting the rights to Final Fantasy X by refusing to comply.”
This incident highlights the “parasitic industry” nature Walsh describes. Strategy guide publishers are reliant on game publishers for access and rights. This dependency grants game publishers significant leverage, sometimes leading to decisions that prioritize their interests over both the guide creators and the consumers who purchase these guides. In the case of the Final Fantasy IX guide, SquareSoft’s desire to promote PlayOnline.com took precedence over delivering a complete and satisfactory strategy guide.
An image depicting characters from Final Fantasy IX in a moment of gameplay, illustrating the type of visual content expected in a strategy guide, which was unfortunately lacking in comprehensiveness.
The Final Fantasy IX strategy guide serves as a stark reminder of the power dynamics within the strategy guide publishing industry. While strategy guides are intended to be helpful resources for players, their creation and distribution are subject to business considerations that can compromise their quality and value. The story isn’t just about a bad guide; it’s about the industry pressures and publisher control that can lead to such outcomes. It’s a case study in how even established publishers like BradyGames could be forced into decisions that ultimately harmed their reputation and disappointed their customers, all to maintain a crucial business relationship.
Doug Walsh’s insights, drawn from his extensive experience, provide valuable context for understanding this situation. His book, “The Walkthrough,” likely offers a more detailed account of this and other industry anecdotes, painting a comprehensive picture of the strategy guide world, its triumphs, and its failures. The Final Fantasy IX guide remains a significant, albeit negative, landmark in the history of gaming strategy guides, a testament to a time when publisher ambitions could overshadow the needs of players seeking guidance in their favorite virtual worlds.
The legacy of the Final Fantasy 9 strategy guide extends beyond just being a poorly received product. It became a symbol of the risks inherent in relying on print guides in an increasingly online world. As gaming moved further into the digital age, the limitations of static, physical guides became more apparent. The PlayOnline.com incident, while controversial, arguably foreshadowed the shift towards online game guides and wikis, which offer greater flexibility and the ability to provide up-to-date information in a constantly evolving gaming landscape.
Zidane and Vivi, two central characters from Final Fantasy IX, pictured in a promotional image, representing the heroes players would expect guidance on from a strategy guide.
While the Final Fantasy IX guide is often cited as the “worst strategy guide ever made,” it’s crucial to understand the context surrounding its creation. It wasn’t simply a result of incompetence but rather a consequence of industry pressures and a clash of priorities. Doug Walsh’s account emphasizes this, highlighting the sometimes-uncomfortable realities of strategy guide publishing and the delicate balance between creative work and commercial imperatives. For anyone interested in the history of gaming and the evolution of game assistance resources, the story of the Final Fantasy IX strategy guide offers a valuable, if cautionary, lesson.
