Nasir Gebelli, the Iranian-American programming legend behind the first three Final Fantasy games, recently broke his long silence in a Japanese documentary, Legendary Games Chronicle: Final Fantasy. Known for his groundbreaking work at Square during the late 1980s and early 1990s, Gebelli reflected on his contributions to the iconic RPG series and described coding the games as “pretty simple.” His familiarity with the MOS Technology 6502 processor, used in both Apple II and NES systems, allowed him to transition seamlessly from programming action games to creating RPGs, despite having no prior experience with the genre.
Japanese national TV managed to track down and do a rare interview with Nasir Gebelli, the genius Iranian-American Programmer that programmed the first Final Fantasy game! #FinalFantasy
— Genki✨ (@Genki_JPN) January 11, 2025
He lead the programming for the first 3 Final Fantasy games. What a legend! pic.twitter.com/GnGkWeLeTn
Gebelli’s work on Final Fantasy was pivotal in shaping the series’ technical foundation. He developed innovative features like efficient memory management to handle in-game messages and backgrounds dynamically. His programming of Final Fantasy III’s airship—a feat unmatched by other developers at the time—remains one of his most celebrated accomplishments. Despite the challenges, Gebelli emphasized the excitement of working on something new and collaborating with Hironobu Sakaguchi and the team.
NHK has located and interviewed the elusive Nasir Gebelli, the genius Iranian-American programmer of Final Fantasy I to III. Gebelli dropped out of the public eye for many years, and even Sakaguchi went to Twitter in 2012 to ask if anyone knew his contact information.www.famitsu.com/article/2024...
— Alex Kraus (@alexfkraus.bsky.social) 2024-12-23T11:12:24.506Z
In a rare moment during the documentary, Gebelli revisited the original Final Fantasy gameplay and humorously remarked that the airship could have looked better if it were 10% slower. This self-critical reflection underscores his perfectionist mindset, even decades after retiring from game development following his work on Secret of Mana.
Gebelli’s legacy extends far beyond his technical contributions. His innovative coding techniques laid the groundwork for many RPG staples, influencing not only the Final Fantasy franchise but also broader gaming design. John Romero, co-creator of DOOM, famously called Gebelli his “programming god” and credited him as a major inspiration.
