Smile Please

Smile Please is an independent Japanese music-production company founded by composer and keyboardist Nobuo Uematsu in 2004, following his departure from Square Enix. The company was created as Uematsu moved from an employee role into a more autonomous career as a composer, producer, and music creator. Its formation marked an important transition in the professional life of one of Japan’s best-known video-game composers: rather than ending his relationship with the game industry, Uematsu continued working as a freelancer for Square Enix and for other developers, including Mistwalker, the studio associated with Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi. Uematsu joined Square in 1986 and became closely identified with the Final Fantasy series, while also contributing to other games, animated works, concerts, albums, and performance projects. After nearly two decades at the company, he explained that Square Enix’s office move from Meguro to Shinjuku was one factor in his decision to leave, alongside a broader desire to take greater control of his life and work. Smile Please therefore functioned as a vehicle for independent creative activity rather than as a conventional mass-market consumer brand. The company’s publicly documented association is primarily with Uematsu’s composition and production work. After its establishment, he continued to write music for games and related media, including projects connected with Mistwalker such as Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey, Away: Shuffle Dungeon, The Last Story, and Terra Battle. He also remained involved with Square Enix-related work, including music for Final Fantasy VII Advent Children and later the main theme for Final Fantasy VII Remake. The company’s precise staffing, corporate structure, commercial clients, and catalogue of separately branded releases are not extensively documented in the supplied reference material. Smile Please should be understood as a creator-led production entity within Japan’s video-game and media-music ecosystem. Its significance comes less from independent retail products than from enabling Uematsu’s post-Square career, including freelance composition, collaborations, concert activity, and associated music production. In 2006, Uematsu founded Dog Ear Records, a separate music-production company and record label. Dog Ear Records became the more clearly identified label platform for recordings and music activities, while Smile Please remained associated with Uematsu’s independent production work. Because available sources provide limited information about the company’s current operations, employee base, revenue, ownership structure, and continuing legal status, those details remain unconfirmed.

Smile Please was established in 2004 by Nobuo Uematsu after he left Square Enix. Uematsu had joined Square in 1986 and became one of the company’s central composers, particularly through his work on the Final Fantasy series. His decision to leave followed almost two decades inside the company. Public accounts identify the relocation of Square Enix’s offices from Meguro to Shinjuku as one practical reason, while Uematsu also described a personal wish to take greater control over his life and professional direction. The new company gave Uematsu an independent base from which to continue composing and producing music. Its creation did not represent a withdrawal from video games. Instead, it supported a freelance model in which Uematsu could work with former Square colleagues, independent studios, and other media partners. He retained connections with Square Enix and continued to contribute to projects related to the company, while also developing a close working relationship with Hironobu Sakaguchi’s Mistwalker. Uematsu’s post-Square credits included music for Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey, Away: Shuffle Dungeon, The Last Story, and Terra Battle, as well as other game and media projects. Smile Please’s documented identity is closely tied to Uematsu himself. The available reference material does not establish a large corporate organization, a broad roster of signed composers, or a separately marketed consumer catalogue. It is better characterized as an independent production vehicle for a prominent composer than as a conventional entertainment conglomerate. Its activities encompass composition, music production, and creative collaboration connected with video games and related media. In 2006, Uematsu founded Dog Ear Records, a separate music-production company and record label. That later venture provided a distinct platform for recordings and music-related releases, whereas Smile Please remained associated with Uematsu’s independent professional activity. Uematsu subsequently composed or supervised music for works including Final Fantasy VII Advent Children, the main theme of Final Fantasy XII, the main theme of Final Fantasy VII Remake, and projects outside the Square Enix family. These activities illustrate the continuing role of Smile Please within a broader network of freelance composition and production rather than a single fixed product line. The company’s current legal status, workforce, financial performance, ownership arrangements beyond Uematsu’s founding association, and official website are not established by the supplied sources. Accordingly, Smile Please’s historical importance is clear, but its present-day operating scope should be treated as unconfirmed.

• 2006

  Dog Ear Records is founded

  [1]Nobuo Uematsuen.wikipedia.org

  Uematsu founded Dog Ear Records, a separate music-production company and record label that complemented his independent creative activities.

• 2005

  Independent work expands into film music

  [1]Nobuo Uematsuen.wikipedia.org

  Uematsu and members of The Black Mages created music for the CGI film Final Fantasy VII Advent Children during his post-Square independent period.

• 2004

  Smile Please is established

  [1]Nobuo Uematsuen.wikipedia.org

  Nobuo Uematsu formed Smile Please after leaving Square Enix, beginning his career as an independent composer and producer.

A creator-led independent music-production company supporting Nobuo Uematsu’s post-Square Enix composition and collaboration work.

• Music production · 2004

  Independent video-game music production

  Smile Please is associated with Uematsu’s independent work composing and producing music for video games after his departure from Square Enix. The documented output includes collaborations with Square Enix and Mistwalker-related projects, although the sources do not provide a complete company catalogue or distinguish every credit legally between Uematsu personally and Smile Please.

• Original music · 2004

  Game and media themes

  The company’s creator-led activity includes original themes and compositions for games and related media. Uematsu’s post-2004 work included themes and scores connected with projects such as Final Fantasy VII Advent Children, Final Fantasy XII, and Final Fantasy VII Remake, though the supplied sources do not specify which works were formally released under the Smile Please name.

• 2006

  Create a separate music labelStrategy

  Background

  Uematsu’s independent career expanded beyond commissioned composition into music production and recording activities.

  Action taken

  He founded Dog Ear Records as a separate music-production company and record label.

  Aftermath

  Dog Ear Records became a distinct platform for Uematsu’s music-related work, while Smile Please remained associated with his independent production career.

  Source

• 2004

  Move from in-house employment to independent productionStrategy

  Background

  After almost two decades at Square, Uematsu wanted greater control over his working life. The company’s office relocation from Meguro to Shinjuku was also cited as a factor in his departure.

  Action taken

  Uematsu left Square Enix and established Smile Please, continuing to accept freelance composition and production work.

  Aftermath

  He remained active in game music and collaborated with both Square Enix and other developers, including Mistwalker.

  Source

1. 1Nobuo Uematsuen.wikipedia.org