1

Hiromichi Tanaka to Leave Square Enix

Last night, at the end of VanaFest 2012, Hiromichi Tanaka, Final Fantasy XI's producer since the game's launch, announced that he will be retiring from Square Enix due to unspecified health reasons. Tanaka's history with Square Enix brought about some of the most memorable titles ever released by the company, such as Xenogears and Chrono Cross, but also saw more troubling times recently with the rough launch of Final Fantasy XIV in 2010. Tanaka's position with Final Fantasy XI will be replaced by Akihiko Matsui, who served as the game's director in 2010 before being brought on board Final Fantasy XIV as lead battle designer.

Want to share your opinions on Tanaka's work in the past or your take on this announcement? Feel free to do so on the ZAM forums.

Comments

Post Comment
Wishing Hiromichi Tanaka Well
# Jun 26 2012 at 10:59 AM Rating: Decent
*
60 posts
Final Fantasy 11 is my favorite game of all time. I spent 6 years playing it and I miss it very much. Hiromichi Tanaka's part in this masterpiece is very much appreciated, more than words can express. Not to mention Chrono Cross was a very good game that I loved too. It is sad to see such talent leave such an awesome company. I'm sure he will be dearly missed.

I am a huge fan and I wish Hiromichi Tanaka the very best. May God bless his health and life.
have a nice retirement!
# Jun 24 2012 at 9:02 AM Rating: Decent
Management in Japan typically works over 12 hour days, which alone is cause for health concerns over time.
Post Comment

Free account required to post

You must log in or create an account to post messages.