Yoshinori Kitase

Yoshinori Kitase
At the E3 in Los Angeles, California in 2009
Born (1966-09-23) 23 September 1966
Japan
Nationality Japanese
Alma mater Nihon University
Occupation Video game producer
Employer Square Enix

Yoshinori Kitase (北瀬 佳範, Kitase Yoshinori, born 23 September 1966) is a Japanese game director and producer working for Square Enix. He is known as the director of Final Fantasy VI, Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII and Final Fantasy X, and the producer of the Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy XIII series. Kitase is an Executive Officer at Square Enix, the Head of Square Enix's Business Division 1 and part of the Final Fantasy Committee that is tasked with keeping the franchise's releases and content consistent.[1][2][3]

Biography

In July 1978, at the age of 11, Kitase watched the movie Star Wars for the first time and was deeply impressed with it. He later examined the making-of video to it and became interested in the creative process of the film industry. Kitase decided to attend the Nihon University College of Art and studied screenwriting and filmmaking. Although he enjoyed filming, he showed a much greater passion for post-production editing as he felt it allowed him to give the footage a completely new meaning and to appeal to the viewers' feelings. In his first year after the graduation, Kitase worked at a small animation studio that produced animated television programs and commercials. When he played Final Fantasy for the first time, he considered a switch to the game industry as he felt that it had potential when it came to animation and storytelling. Despite having no software development knowledge, he applied at the game development company Square and was hired in 1990. In the ten years to follow, he gathered experience as an "event scripter", directing the characters' movements and facial expressions on the game screen as well as setting the timings and music transitions. He has compared this work to directing film actors.[4] Kitase continued directing cutscenes in spite of filling other roles in later projects; for example, he directed part of the event scenes in Final Fantasy VIII and was event planner for the Nibelheim section of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII.[5][6]

Yoshinori Kitase (right) and art director Isamu Kamikokuryo (left) at HMV's Final Fantasy XIII launch event in London in March, 2010.

When many players responded to the sci-fi world of Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII by requesting a "simple fantasy world", Kitase tried to expand the definition of the word "fantasy" beyond that of a medieval European setting. This led to Southeast Asia being the backdrop for Final Fantasy X.[7] Kitase referred to Final Fantasy VII and its protagonist Cloud Strife as his favorite game and character, respectively.[8] In an interview, he said that he loves first-person shooters.[9] Kitase supervised the Final Fantasy VII: Technical Demo for PS3. Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi feels that he "handed the torch to" Kitase as far as heading the series is concerned.[10]

Works

ReleaseTitleSystemCredit(s)
1991Final Fantasy AdventureGame BoyGame design, scenario
1992Romancing SaGaSuper Nintendo Entertainment SystemField map design
1992Final Fantasy VSuper Nintendo Entertainment SystemField planner, event planner, scenario writer[11]
1994Final Fantasy VISuper Nintendo Entertainment SystemDirector, event planner, scenario writer[11]
1995Chrono TriggerSuper Nintendo Entertainment SystemDirector, scenario writer[12]
1997Final Fantasy VIIPlayStationDirector, scenario writer
1998EhrgeizPlayStationFF VII staff
1999Final Fantasy VIIIPlayStationDirector, story, system designer, event scene direction[13][5]
2001Final Fantasy XPlayStation 2Producer, chief director, scenario writer[14][15][16]
2002Kingdom HeartsPlayStation 2Co-producer
2003Unlimited SagaPlayStation 2Special thanks
2003Final Fantasy X-2PlayStation 2Producer
2004Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VIIMobile phoneExecutive producer
2004Kingdom Hearts: Chain of MemoriesGame Boy AdvanceProducer
2005Romancing SaGaPlayStation 2Special thanks
2005Final Fantasy VII: Advent ChildrenFilmProducer
2005Last Order: Final Fantasy VIIAnimeExecutive producer
2005Kingdom Hearts IIPlayStation 2Co-producer
2006Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VIIPlayStation 2Producer
2006Final Fantasy V AdvanceGame Boy AdvanceSupervisor
2006Final Fantasy VI AdvanceGame Boy AdvanceSupervisor
2006Dawn of ManaPlayStation 2Special thanks
2007Heroes of ManaNintendo DSSpecial thanks
2007Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VIIPlayStation PortableExecutive producer, event planner[6]
2008Sigma HarmonicsNintendo DSProducer
2008Dissidia: Final FantasyPlayStation PortableProducer
2009Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children CompleteFilmProducer
2009Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of LightNintendo DSSpecial thanks
2009Final Fantasy XIIIPlayStation 3, Xbox 360, WindowsProducer, Crystal Tools development staff (for PS3 & 360)
2010Final Fantasy XIVWindowsCrystal tools
2010The 3rd BirthdayPlayStation PortableProducer
2011Dissidia 012: Final FantasyPlayStation PortableSpecial thanks
2011Final Fantasy Type-0PlayStation PortableProducer
2011Final Fantasy XIII-2PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, WindowsProducer
2012Theatrhythm Final FantasyNintendo 3DSSpecial thanks
2013Final Fantasy: All The BravestiOS, AndroidSpecial thanks
2013Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIIIPlayStation 3, Xbox 360, WindowsProducer
2013Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD RemasterPlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4, WindowsProducer (PS3, PS Vita), special thanks (PS4, Windows)
2014Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain CallNintendo 3DSSpecial thanks
2014Final Fantasy VII G-BikeiOS, AndroidExecutive producer[2]
2015Mobius Final FantasyiOS, Android, WindowsProducer
2015Final Fantasy: Brave ExviusiOS, AndroidSpecial thanks
2015Dissidia Final Fantasy (2015 video game)ArcadeSpecial thanks[17]
2016Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XVFilmSpecial thanks
2016Final Fantasy XVPlayStation 4, Xbox OneSpecial thanks, original producer[A]
2017Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward (Patch 3.56)Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Mac OS XSpecial thanks
2017Final Fantasy XIV: StormbloodWindows, PlayStation 4, Mac OS XSpecial thanks
2017Itadaki Street: Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy 30th AnniversaryPlayStation 4, PlayStation VitaSpecial thanks
2017Final Fantasy Dimensions IIiOS, AndroidSpecial thanks
2018Dissidia Final Fantasy NTPlayStation 4Special thanks
TBAFinal Fantasy VII RemakePlayStation 4Producer

Notes

  • A Kitase was a producer on Final Fantasy XV until the end of 2013.

References

  1. ↑ "Board of Directors". Square Enix. 2016.
  2. 1 2 "【インタビュー（完全版）】『ファイナルファンタジーVII Gバイク』 いま明かされる開発秘話". Famitsu. 2014-06-27. Retrieved 2015-05-26.
  3. ↑ "What Does Square Enix's Final Fantasy Committee Do?". Siliconera. March 25, 2014.
  4. ↑ 「ハリウッド映画に負けていますか？」 スクウェア・エニックスプロデューサー北瀬 佳範 (in Japanese). Kodansha. 25 November 2009. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  5. 1 2 Studio BentStuff. Final Fantasy VIII Ultimania (in Japanese). Square Enix. p. 464.
  6. 1 2 Martin, Joe (26 April 2008). "Crisis Core: Interviewing Yoshinori Kitase". Interview. bit-tech. Retrieved 4 April 2011.
  7. ↑ "Beyond FINAL FANTASY – Interviews". FINAL FANTASY X Bonus DVD. Square Enix Co., Ltd. Retrieved 4 April 2011. Yoshinori Kitase: For Final Fantasy VII and VIII, the setting was sci-fi and many players responded by saying that they preferred a simple fantasy world. They seemed to have a fixed notion of what fantasy means to them, and to them, it consisted of a medieval European world. I wanted to change that idea. I wanted to expand the definition of what the players thought the word "fantasy" implied.
  8. ↑ "Yoshinori Kitase on FFXIII, FFVII and Dissidia". VideoGamer.com. 8 May 2009. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  9. ↑ Cheng, Justin (19 May 2005). "E3 2005: Yoshinori Kitase Interview". IGN. Retrieved 19 July 2010.
  10. ↑ "Hironobu Sakaguchi and Hajime Tabata Discuss Their Passion for the Series and Behind-the-Scenes Episodes from the Final Fantasy XV Reveal Event". Famitsu. May 13, 2016.
  11. 1 2 Parish, Jeremy (2010-02-24). "Final Fantasy: Kitase's Inside Story". 1UP.com. UGO Networks. Retrieved 2010-09-11.
  12. ↑ "Procyon Studio: Interview with Masato Kato". Cocoebiz.com. November 1999. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 3 June 2007.
  13. ↑ "Interview with Nomura, Kitase and Naora". Shūkan Famitsu. ASCII Corporation. 5 June 1998. Archived from the original on 23 February 2011. Retrieved 23 February 2011.
  14. ↑ "Interview: Final Fantasy X". Core Magazine. 6 March 2001. Archived from the original on 13 April 2001.
  15. ↑ "Interview with Final Fantasy X Developers". The Madman's Cafe. 19 January 2001. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  16. ↑ Studio BentStuff. Final Fantasy X Ultimania Omega (in Japanese). Square Enix. pp. 192, 476.
  17. ↑ "Staff Credit".
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.