Back in 1997, if you were lucky enough to be a PlayStation gamer and had a Sears nearby, you may have clipped this gem right out of your gaming magazine. Yes, before online pre-orders and digital bonuses, you actually had to bring a coupon into a store to get a deal — and this Final Fantasy VII promotion is peak ‘90s nostalgia.
💥 “CUT A GREAT DEAL AT SEARS”
This bold headline paired with the iconic image of Cloud Strife wielding his massive Buster Sword was an instant eye-catcher. And the deal? Surprisingly solid.
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$10 Off Final Fantasy VII
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Free Cloud T-Shirt
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Valid from 9/27/97 to 10/15/97 in Sears' Funtronics Dept.
At a time when games were creeping toward the $50 mark, ten bucks off — plus a collectible T-shirt — made this one of the better launch promos of the era.
🛒 Gaming at Sears: A Forgotten Era
In the ‘90s, big-box retailers like Sears weren’t just for appliances and back-to-school clothes — they had full electronics sections (called Funtronics here), where you could demo games, browse memory cards, and grab the latest PS1 releases off plastic security hooks.
This ad is a time capsule to when games weren’t bought with a click, but with a coupon and a trip to the mall. It also shows just how much confidence Squaresoft and Sony had in Final Fantasy VII — promoting it at major retail chains like Sears was a sign this was more than just a typical RPG launch.
👕 That Shirt, Though
Let’s talk about the Cloud Strife T-shirt. Minimalist by today's merch standards, but in 1997? It was peak cool. Rocking that tee at school was a badge of honor for RPG fans — especially in a pre-Smash Bros era where most kids still didn’t know who Cloud was.
📆 Why This Ad Still Rocks
There’s something charming about seeing a massive game franchise like Final Fantasy tied to a coupon clip-out ad from Sears. It represents the bridge between old-school retail and the rise of gaming as mainstream entertainment.
And let’s be honest — how many of us wish we’d kept that shirt?
Were you one of the lucky ones to score this deal back in ‘97? Got any fond Sears gaming memories? Drop a comment and share your story — or that time you begged your parents to take you to the Funtronics department. 🕹
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