Nasir Gebelli#Gebelli Software

Gebelli was born in Iran in 1957. Because of his family relationship with the Iranian royal family of the Pahlavi dynasty, he migrated to the United States to avoid the 1979 Iranian Revolution and study computer science.{{Cite news |date=April 20, 2015 |title="運命のようなもの"が働いていた？……坂口博信が自作ゲームからFINAL FANTASYに辿り着くまで |language=ja |trans-title=Was something like "fate" at work? ...How Hironobu Sakaguchi arrived at FINAL FANTASY from his own game |work=Niconico |url=https://ch.nicovideo.jp/indies-game/blomaga/ar772866 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150420182124/http://ch.nicovideo.jp/indies-game/blomaga/ar772866 |archive-date=2015-04-20 |quote=Sakaguchi: That is Nasir. He was originally a royalty of Iran and heard that he went out of the country and went to the United States at the time of the Iranian Revolution.}} He was inspired by Golden age arcade video games, such as Space Invaders. Gebelli's first project for the Apple II was EasyDraw, a logo and character creation program he used for his later games. He then began programming video games in either 1978 or 1979.

As a college student, he demonstrated a slide show program he wrote at a computer store to the stores' owner Jerry Jewell.{{cite book|first=Steven|last=Levy|title=Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution|page=263|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mShXzzKtpmEC&pg=PA263|publisher=O'Reilly Media|isbn=978-1449393748|date=2010-05-19}} In 1980, he joined a new company founded by Jewell and Terry Bradley, Sirius Software. Gebelli's first game was Both Barrels.

Within a year, Gebelli programmed twelve games. He wrote the code in his head, then quickly entered it before forgetting the details. His action games were well-received, and three of his games, Phantoms Five, Cyber Strike, and Star Cruiser, appeared on Softalk{{'}}s Top Thirty software list in March 1981. Six of his games later appeared on Softalk{{'}}s Top Thirty list in August 1981, with the highest at number three.{{Cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/Softalk_1981_08|title=Softalk 1981 08|via=Internet Archive}} His best-selling titles were Space Eggs and Gorgon, which were clones of Moon Cresta and Defender, respectively.{{cite web|title=Nasir Gebelli and the early days of Sirius Software|url=http://allincolorforaquarter.blogspot.com/2015_08_01_archive.html|website=The Golden Age Arcade Historian}} Electronic Games referred to Gebelli as "ace designer Nasir" and gave Gorgon a positive review.{{cite news | url=https://archive.org/stream/electronic-games-magazine-premiere/Electronic_Games_Issue_01_Vol_01_01_1981_Winter_Premiere#page/n63/mode/2up | title=Computer Playland | work=Electronic Games | date=Jan 1981 | access-date=28 January 2015 | page=38}} BYTE assured readers that Gorgon would not disappoint "Nasir Gabelli fans".{{cite news | url=https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1981-12/1981_12_BYTE_06-12_Computer_Games#page/n91/mode/2up | title=Gorgon | work=BYTE | date=December 1981 | access-date=19 October 2013 | author=Callamaras, Peter V | page=90}} Gorgon sold at least 23,000 copies in a year, making it one of the best-selling computer games through June 1982.{{Cite magazine|magazine=Computer Gaming World|date=September–October 1982|volume=2|issue=5|page=2|url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1982&pub=2&id=6 | title=List of Top Sellers}} Gebelli's games used page flipping, which eliminated the flickering that early Apple II games experienced.

He left Sirius in 1982 to establish his own software company, Gebelli Software, which released its first game that same year. Entitled Horizon V, the game was a first-person shooter with a radar mechanic.John Romero, {{MobyGames|id=/horizon-v|name=Horizon V}} Sirius released the Apple II game Zenith later in 1982, which added the ability for players to rotate their ships.John Romero, {{MobyGames|id=/zenith|name=Zenith}} In October 1982, Arcade Express reviewed Zenith and scored it 9 out of 10, stating "celebrated Nasir proves his reputation" with "this visually striking first-person space piloting and shooting" game.{{cite web|url=http://www.digitpress.com/library/newsletters/arcadeexpress/arcade_express_v1n6.pdf#page=6|accessdate=April 5, 2020|publisher=Arcade Express|work=The Hot Seat|date=October 24, 1982|title=Zenith Review}} In March 1983, however, Andromeda (fourth place for Atari 8-bit), Russki Duck (tied for sixth for Apple) and Horizon V (tenth place for Apple) received Softline{{'}}s Dog of the Year awards "for badness in computer games" based on reader submissions.{{cite news | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1983&pub=6&id=10 | title=Everybody Doesn't Like Something | work=Softline | date=March 1983 | access-date=28 July 2014 | pages=22–23}} Horizon V sold 5,000 copies during its first few months on sale in 1982.

IBM arranged for Gebelli to produce launch titles for the IBM PCjr, announced in late 1983.{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kSzKzjWHeVEC&pg=PA142 | title=Coming Soon: Games For The PCjr | work=PC | date=1984-01-24 | access-date=26 January 2015 | author=Wiswell, Phil | pages=142–145}} Gebelli's company was not successful, and the video game crash of 1983 caused Gebelli Software to close. Afterward, Gebelli went on an extended vacation traveling the world. When he retired from Apple II development, Gebelli had eight games on Softalk{{'}}s Apple II best-seller lists, more than any other game designer.

In 1986, Gebelli became interested in developing games again and met with Doug Carlston, his friend and owner of video game developer Broderbund. Carlston told him about the rise of the Nintendo Entertainment System and how he should start creating games for the console. Gebelli was interested, and so Doug offered to fly to Japan with Gebelli and introduce him to his contacts at Square. Gebelli had the opportunity to meet with Masafumi Miyamoto, founder and president of Square, who decided to hire him. The programmers, especially Hironobu Sakaguchi (a long-time fan of Gebelli's work), were aware of his reputation and were excited to have him join.

While at Square, Gebelli programmed the game Tobidase Daisakusen for the Famicom Disk System, released in the United States in early 1987 as 3-D WorldRunner on the NES. 3-D WorldRunner was a pseudo-3D third-person platform game where players move in any forward-scrolling direction and leap over obstacles and chasms.{{Cite magazine |date=February 1999 |title=Hironobu Sakaguchi: The Man Behind the Fantasies |magazine=Next Generation |pages=87–90 |issue=50}} It was also notable for being one of the first stereoscopic video games.{{cite web|url= http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=1136|publisher=AllGame|access-date=June 16, 2020|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141114120016/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=1136|archive-date=November 14, 2014|title=3-D World Runner}} His second Square project was Highway Star (Rad Racer in the U.S.), a stereoscopic 3-D racing game also designed for the Famicom 3D System in 1987. According to Sakaguchi, Square initially hired Gebelli for his 3D programming techniques, as seen in 3-D WorldRunner and Rad Racer.{{Cite magazine |date=February 1999 |title=The Man Behind the Fantasies |magazine=Next Generation |page=89 |issue=50}}{{cite web|url= http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/rad-racer/|publisher=Hardcore Gaming 101|access-date=May 26, 2020|date=November 19, 2017|author=Foster, Neil|title=Rad Racer}} At the time, Gebelli did not know any Japanese and had no translator, so it was initially difficult to communicate with Sakaguchi. There were only three staff members working on both games, Gebelli, Sakaguchi, and graphic designer Kazuko Shibuya. Both games were commercially successful, selling about 500,000 copies each.

Gebelli then teamed up with Sakaguchi, Nobuo Uematsu and Yoshitaka Amano as part of Square's A-Team to produce Final Fantasy, the first entry in the popular Final Fantasy series. A role-playing video game released for the NES in 1987 in Japan, it featured several unique features, a character creation system, the concept of time travel, side-view battles and transportation by canoe, boat and airship.{{cite web |last=Roschin |first=Oleg |date=March 26, 2006 |title=The World of Asian RPGs |url=http://www.mobygames.com/featured_article/feature,25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120816083026/http://www.mobygames.com/featured_article/feature,25/ |archive-date=2012-08-16 |access-date=2009-09-10 |website=MobyGames |at=Final Fantasy}}{{cite web| url = http://www.gamespot.com/features/vgs/universal/finalfantasy_hs/sec1.html | title = The History of Final Fantasy |first = Andrew|last=Vestal | publisher=GameSpot | date = 1998-11-02 | access-date = 2009-09-11 | page=Final Fantasy |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060714232529/http://www.gamespot.com/features/vgs/universal/finalfantasy_hs/sec1.html |archive-date=2006-07-14 |url-status=dead}}{{cite web |last=Vestal |first=Andrew |date=1998-11-02 |title=The History of Console RPGs |url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/vgs/universal/rpg_hs/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040409183505/http://www.gamespot.com/features/vgs/universal/rpg_hs/index.html |archive-date=2004-04-09 |access-date=2009-09-10 |website=GameSpot |at=Final Fantasy}} It also had the first RPG minigame, a sliding puzzle added by Gebelli into the game despite its not being part of Squaresoft's original game design.{{cite news |title=インタビュー『FINAL FANTASY I・II ADVANCE』 |url=http://dengekionline.com/soft/recommend/ff-gba/index.html |work=Dengeki |year=2004 |language=ja}}

He went on to program Final Fantasy II, released in 1988, introducing an "emotional storyline, morally ambiguous characters, tragic events". He also made the story "emotionally experienced rather than concluded from gameplay and conversations". The game replaced traditional levels and experience points with a new activity-based progression system that required "gradual development of individual statistics through continuous actions of the same kind". Final Fantasy II also featured open-ended exploration{{cite web|url=http://psp.ign.com/articles/808/808182p1.html|title=Final Fantasy II Review|publisher=IGN|date=July 26, 2007|author=Jeremy Dunham|access-date=2011-03-02}} and an innovative dialogue system where players use keywords or phrases during conversations with non-player characters.{{cite web | title=Final Fantasy Retrospective: Part II | url=http://www.gametrailers.com/player/22650.html |date= 2007-07-23| publisher=GameTrailers | access-date=2008-04-16}}

Gebelli went on to program Final Fantasy III in 1990, which introduced the job system, a character progression engine allowing the changing and combination of character classes.{{cite web |title=Final Fantasy III |url=http://na.square-enix.com/ff3/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090627120205/http://na.square-enix.com/ff3/ |archive-date=2009-06-27 |access-date=2010-09-13 |website=Square Enix}}{{Cite book|editor=Square Enix Co.|title=Final Fantasy Anthology North American instruction manual|publisher=Square Enix Co.|id=SLUS-00879GH|pages=17–18|year=1999}} Midway through the development of both Final Fantasy II and III, Gebelli returned to Sacramento, California from Japan due to an expired work visa. The rest of the development staff followed him to Sacramento with materials and equipment needed to finish game production.{{cite magazine |last=Mielke |first=James |author2=Hironobu Sakaguchi |title=Interview with Hironobu Sakaguchi |magazine=Electronic Gaming Monthly |issue=232 |quote=[...] So for Final Fantasy II and III, our staff actually brought all the equipment, everything that was necessary to finish those games, to Sacramento, because (Gebelli) couldn't come back to Japan. [...] We finished Final Fantasy II and III in Sacramento, California. [Laughs] |author2-link=Hironobu Sakaguchi }}

After completing Final Fantasy III, Gebelli took another long vacation and later returned to work on Seiken Densetsu II (released as Secret of Mana in the U.S.), the second entry in the Mana series, released in 1993. The game made advances to the action role-playing game genre, including its unique cooperative multiplayer gameplay. The team who created the game had worked on the first three Final Fantasy titles: Gebelli, Koichi Ishii, and Hiromichi Tanaka. The team developed Secret of Mana to be a launch title for Super NES's CD-ROM add-on. After Sony and Nintendo backed out of making the console, the game was changed to fit in a standard Super NES game pak.{{cite web| url=http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3113932 | title=Classics Column #1: Desperately Seeking Seiken | access-date=26 July 2007 | first=Jeremy|last=Parish |author2=Frank Cifaldi |author3=Kevin Gifford |date=December 2003 | publisher=Ziff Davis}}

The game received considerable acclaim for its innovative pausable real-time battle system,{{Cite web |last=Leyland |first=Robert |title=RPGFan Reviews - Secret of Mana |url=http://www.rpgfan.com/reviews/secretofmana/Secret_of_Mana-2.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131101174523/http://www.rpgfan.com/reviews/secretofmana/Secret_of_Mana-2.html |archive-date=2013-11-01 |website=RPGFan}} stamina bar,{{cite book|last1=Barton|first1=Matt|title=Dungeons & Desktops: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games|date=2008|publisher=A K Peters|location=Wellesley, Massachusetts|isbn=978-1568814117}} the "Ring Command" menu system,[https://apps.apple.com/nz/app/secret-of-mana/id407949800 Secret of Mana], Apple iPhone Apps its innovative cooperative multiplayer gameplay,{{Cite web |last=Dutton |first=Fred |date=2010-12-17 |title=Secret of Mana hits App Store this month |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/secret-of-mana-hits-app-store-this-month |website=Eurogamer}} and the customizable AI settings for computer-controlled allies.{{Cite web |last=Karge |first=Anthony |date=2005-05-27 |title=Secret of Mana - SNES review |url=http://thunderboltgames.com/reviews/article/secret-of-mana-review-for-snes.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130729211353/http://thunderboltgames.com/reviews/article/secret-of-mana-review-for-snes.html |archive-date=2013-07-29 |website=Thunderbolt}}

Following Secret of Mana's completion, Gebelli retired with income from Square royalties and travelled the world. In August 1998, he attended an Apple II Reunion in Dallas, Texas, at video game developer Ion Storm offices. There, he met developer and fan John Romero, who interviewed him.{{YouTube|4Me1ycLxDlw|Nasir Gebelli at Apple II Reunion}}{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGzd7JRbxL0 |title=Nasir Gebelli Interview at Ion Storm, 1998 |date=2017-02-06 |last=Romero |first=John |author-link=John Romero |orig-date=1998-08-08 |via=YouTube}} Gebelli lives in Sacramento, California, where he has lived most of his life.

John Romero (Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, Quake) credited Gebelli as a significant influence on his career as a game designer. He also cited Gebelli as his favorite programmer and a notable inspiration, mentioning his fast action and 3D programming work on games such as Horizon V and Zenith.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UV7OBQAAQBAJ|title=Honoring the Code: Conversations with Great Game Designers|first=Matt|last=Barton|date=19 April 2016|publisher=CRC Press|via=Google Books|isbn=9781466567542}} Gebelli also inspired the careers of other developers, such as Mark Turmell (NBA Jam, Smash TV). Jordan Mechner has also credited Gebelli's work on the Apple II as inspiration and as a major influence on the creation of Karateka and Prince of Persia.{{Cite tweet |number=826406586272849921 |user=jmechner |title=Nasir is amazing. Was role model and inspiration to me in early Apple II days. Without him, likely no Karateka or #princeofpersia |first=Jordan |last=Mechner |author-link=Jordan Mechner |date=2017-01-31}} Richard Garriott (Ultima) also praised Gebelli's ability to craft games that "were really playable and fun!"{{cite web|url=https://www.nowgamer.com/apple-ii-celebrates-35-years-with-ultima-prince-of-persia-choplifter/|publisher=Now Gamer|title=Apple II Celebrates 35 Years with Ultima, Prince of Persia, Choplifter}}

Final Fantasy went on to become a major franchise, and Hironobu Sakaguchi went on to become a well-known figure in the game industry. Final Fantasy{{'}}s side-view battles became the norm for numerous console RPGs. Developers used Final Fantasy II{{'}}s activity-based progression system in several later RPG series, such as the SaGa,{{Cite web |last=Gann |first=Patrick |date=2005-11-10 |title=Romancing SaGa |url=https://www.rpgfan.com/reviews/romancingsagaminstrel/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051210173309/http://www.rpgfan.com/reviews/romancingsagaminstrel/index.html |archive-date=2005-12-10 |website=RPGFan}} Grandia,{{cite web|url=http://psx.ign.com/articles/162/162007p1.html|title=Grandia|publisher=IGN|author=Francesca Reyes|date=November 4, 1999|access-date=2011-03-02}} and The Elder Scrolls {{Citation needed|date=May 2023}} Final Fantasy III{{'}}s job system became a recurring element in the Final Fantasy series. Secret of Mana has also influenced later action RPGs,{{Cite web |last=Mackenzie |first=Gavin |date=2010-12-14 |title=Dungeon Siege III Developer Interview |url=http://www.nowgamer.com/features/1127/dungeon-siege-iii-developer-interview |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110102110139/http://www.nowgamer.com/features/1127/dungeon-siege-iii-developer-interview |archive-date=2011-01-02 |website=NowGamer}}{{Harvnb|Barton|2008|ref=barton_ddesktops|p=220}} including modern titles such as The Temple of Elemental Evil{{Cite book|first=Matt|last=Barton|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IMXu61GbTqMC |title=Dungeons & Desktops: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games |publisher=A K Peters, Ltd. |year=2008 |access-date=2010-09-08 |isbn = 978-1-56881-411-7 | ref=barton_ddesktops | page=220}} and Dungeon Siege III.

Rad Racer and Final Fantasy both contain anti-piracy checks that look for "NASIR" and "PROGRAMMED BY NASIR" respectively in memory.{{cite web |title=Rad Racer Anti-Piracy |url=https://tcrf.net/Rad_Racer#Anti-Piracy |website=The Cutting Room Floor}}{{cite web |title=Final Fantasy Anti-Piracy |url=https://tcrf.net/Final_Fantasy#Anti-Piracy |website=The Cutting Room Floor}}

• Both Barrels (1980, Apple II)
• Star Cruiser (1980, Apple II)
• Phantoms Five (1980, Apple II)
• Cyber Strike (1980, Apple II)
• Gorgon (1981, Apple II){{cite web|url=http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2010/01/romero_chats_with_game_program.php|publisher=Game Set Watch|accessdate=April 8, 2021|title=Romero Chats With Game Programming Legend Nasir|date=January 4, 2010|first=Eric|last=Caoili}}
• Space Eggs (1981, Apple II)
• Pulsar II (1981, Apple II)
• Autobahn (1981, Apple II)

• Firebird (1981, Apple II){{cite book|pages=208|date=February 2018|title=The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers|volume=3|author=Szczepaniak, John|publisher=SMG Szczepaniak}}
• Horizon V (1982, Apple II){{cite web|url=http://blog.hardcoregaming101.net/2011/05/ultima-wizardry-and-issues-of-video.html|accessdate=April 8, 2021|date=May 20, 2011|title=Ultima, Wizardry, and issues of video game historiography|publisher=Hardcore Gaming 101|author=Derboo}}
• Zenith (1982, Apple II)
• Neptune (1982, Apple II)
• ScubaVenture (1983, IBM PCjr)
• Mouser (1983, IBM PCjr)

• 3-D WorldRunner (1987, FDS/NES)
• Rad Racer (1987, NES){{cite web|url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/audio/interview-serializing-rpg-storylines-on-i-final-fantasy-legends-i-|publisher=Informa Tech|work=Gamasutra|access-date=April 8, 2021|date=April 28, 2011|title=Interview: Serializing RPG Storylines On Final Fantasy Legends|author=Jeriaska}}
• JJ: Tobidase Daisakusen Part 2 (1987, NES)
• Final Fantasy (1987, NES)
• Final Fantasy II (1988, NES)
• Final Fantasy III (1990, NES)
• Secret of Mana (1993, SNES){{cite web|url=https://kotaku.com/final-fantasy-is-30-years-old-1821392657|publisher=G/O Media|work=Kotaku|accessdate=April 8, 2021|date=December 18, 2017|title=Final Fantasy is 30 Years Old|first=Jason|last=Schreier}}

{{Reflist|refs=

{{cite web|title=IBM PCjr. Exclusive Games - ScubaVenture & Mouser|url=http://nerdlypleasures.blogspot.com/2014/03/ibm-pcjr-exclusive-games-scubaventure.html|website=Nerdly Pleasures|date=March 2014}}

{{Cite magazine |last=Koehler |first=Robert |date=April 1981 |title=Nasir |url=ftp://ftp.apple.asimov.net/pub/apple_II/documentation/magazines/softalk/softalkv1n08apr1981.pdf#page=6 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230118085626/ftp://ftp.apple.asimov.net/pub/apple_II/documentation/magazines/softalk/softalkv1n08apr1981.pdf#page=6 |archive-date=2023-01-18 |magazine=Softalk |pages=4–6 |volume=1 |issue=8}}

}}

• [http://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,82501/ Moby Games bio of Nasir Gebelli]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070716125605/http://www2.hawaii.edu/~johnlau/nasir.html What is behind the phrase "Programmed by Nasir"?]

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Category:1957 births

Category:Living people

Category:American video game designers

Category:American video game programmers

Category:American people of Iranian descent

Category:Exiles of the Iranian Revolution in the United States

Category:Final Fantasy designers

Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States

Category:Square Enix people

Category:American expatriates in Japan