Koji Igarashi
Encyclopedia
, also known simply by the nickname IGA, is a Konami
employee and one of the producers of the Castlevania
video game series. He is best known as the assistant director of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
, his first major involvement in the Castlevania series (he was partially involved in Akumajō Dracula X Chi no Rondo and is listed under "Special Thanks" in the ending credits). He served as producer between Castlevania Chronicles
and up until Castlevania: Harmony of Despair
. He has been involved in other titles such as the Japan-only RPG Elder Gate and Nano Breaker
.
, and requested a departmental transfer. The strong sales of the game prompted his boss to agree, and Igarashi asked to join the Castlevania development team.
Konami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
employee and one of the producers of the Castlevania
Castlevania
Castlevania, known as in Japan, is a video game series created and developed by Konami. The series debuted in Japan on September 26, 1986, with the release of for the Family Computer Disk System , followed by an alternate version for the MSX 2 platform on October 30...
video game series. He is best known as the assistant director of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, known in Japan as , is an action-adventure game developed and published by Konami in 1997. It is the 14th installment of the Castlevania series, the first installment released for the PlayStation, and a direct sequel to Castlevania: Rondo of Blood.Symphony of the...
, his first major involvement in the Castlevania series (he was partially involved in Akumajō Dracula X Chi no Rondo and is listed under "Special Thanks" in the ending credits). He served as producer between Castlevania Chronicles
Castlevania Chronicles
Castlevania Chronicles, known in Japan as , is a platform video game developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo and released for the PlayStation video game console in 2001...
and up until Castlevania: Harmony of Despair
Castlevania: Harmony of Despair
Castlevania: Harmony of Despair, known in Japan as , is a 2D action-adventure game. The game features a new map system that allows players to see the current quest map's entire setup, as well as up to six players at once over Xbox Live. The game was first leaked as an OFLCA Rating on May 27, 2010,...
. He has been involved in other titles such as the Japan-only RPG Elder Gate and Nano Breaker
Nano Breaker
Nano Breaker is a video game developed for the PlayStation 2 video game console by Konami, and was released on January 27, 2005 in Japan and February 15, 2005 in North America and February 18, 2005 for the PAL Regions....
.
Career
After graduating from college, Igarashi sought employment in the video game industry. He interviewed at a company, but an argument with its Human Resources department prevented him securing a job. A mentor of Igarashi then suggested he work at Konami, where the mentor worked. Igarashi passed the application exam, but lacked the university credits to work full-time. He worked part-time at Konami for a year while he attended school. In 1990, Igarashi switched to a full-time capacity. His first project was a simulation game for the Educational Software department. The title, however, was never released. Igarashi's first game to be released was Detana! Twinbee. Igarashi informed his boss that he had no desire to work on a sequel to Tokimeki MemorialTokimeki Memorial
is a popular dating simulation series by Konami. It consists of 6 main games in addition to a large number of spin-offs. The games are notable in the dating sim genre for being highly nonlinear. Their nickname amongst their fans is the contraction TokiMemo....
, and requested a departmental transfer. The strong sales of the game prompted his boss to agree, and Igarashi asked to join the Castlevania development team.
Works
He is credited as IGA, except where noted.- Detana! TwinbeeDetana! Twinbee, originally released outside Japan as Bells & Whistles, is a vertical-scrolling shoot-'em-up game originally released by Konami in as a coin-operated video game. It is the fifth game in the TwinBee series and the second released for the arcades following the original TwinBee...
(PC-EngineTurboGrafx-16TurboGrafx-16, fully titled as TurboGrafx-16 Entertainment SuperSystem and known in Japan as the , is a video game console developed by Hudson Soft and NEC, released in Japan on October 30, 1987, and in North America on August 29, 1989....
) - Programmer - Gradius IIGradius IIis a horizontally-scrolling shooter originally released for the arcades in Japan in . It is the sequel to original Gradius and was succeeded by Gradius III. Ports of Gradius II were released for the Family Computer, PC-Engine Super CD-ROM², and X68000 in Japan...
(PC-Engine Super CD-ROM²) - Programmer - Tokimeki MemorialTokimeki Memorialis a popular dating simulation series by Konami. It consists of 6 main games in addition to a large number of spin-offs. The games are notable in the dating sim genre for being highly nonlinear. Their nickname amongst their fans is the contraction TokiMemo....
(PC-Engine Super CD-ROM²) - Scenario Writer (as K. IGA) - Tokimeki Memorial: Forever with you (PlayStationPlayStationThe is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
, Sega SaturnSega SaturnThe is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
) - Scenario Writer - Castlevania: Symphony of the NightCastlevania: Symphony of the NightCastlevania: Symphony of the Night, known in Japan as , is an action-adventure game developed and published by Konami in 1997. It is the 14th installment of the Castlevania series, the first installment released for the PlayStation, and a direct sequel to Castlevania: Rondo of Blood.Symphony of the...
(PlayStation) - Assistant Director, Programmer, Scenario Writer (as Kouji IGA) - Elder Gate (PlayStation) - Director, System Programmer
- Castlevania ChroniclesCastlevania ChroniclesCastlevania Chronicles, known in Japan as , is a platform video game developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo and released for the PlayStation video game console in 2001...
(PlayStation) - Producer - Castlevania: Harmony of DissonanceCastlevania: Harmony of DissonanceCastlevania: Harmony of Dissonance, known in Japan as , is an action-adventure game developed and published by Konami for the Game Boy Advance. Belonging to Konami's Castlevania video game series, it is the second installment of the series on the Game Boy Advance...
(Game Boy AdvanceGame Boy AdvanceThe is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
) - Producer - Castlevania: Aria of SorrowCastlevania: Aria of SorrowCastlevania: Aria of Sorrow, known in Japan as , is an action-adventure game developed and published by Konami for the Game Boy Advance. It is part of Konami's Castlevania video game series, and the third installment of the series on the Game Boy Advance. The game was released in North America on...
(Game Boy Advance) - Producer - Castlevania: Lament of InnocenceCastlevania: Lament of InnocenceCastlevania: Lament of Innocence, released as in Japan, Europe, and Australia, is an action-adventure video game developed by Konami for the PlayStation 2 console. Belonging to Konami's Castlevania video game series, it is the first installment of the series on the PlayStation 2 and the third to...
(PlayStation 2PlayStation 2The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
) - Producer - Nano BreakerNano BreakerNano Breaker is a video game developed for the PlayStation 2 video game console by Konami, and was released on January 27, 2005 in Japan and February 15, 2005 in North America and February 18, 2005 for the PAL Regions....
(PlayStation 2) - Producer - Castlevania: Dawn of SorrowCastlevania: Dawn of SorrowCastlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, known in Japan as , is an action-adventure game developed and published by Konami. It is part of Konami's Castlevania video game series and the first Castlevania game to be released on the Nintendo DS. The game is the sequel to Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow and...
(Nintendo DSNintendo DSThe is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
) - Producer - Castlevania: Curse of DarknessCastlevania: Curse of DarknessCastlevania: Curse of Darkness, known in Japan as , is a console video game developed by Konami for the Xbox and PlayStation 2. Despite that it was released for Xbox and PlayStation 2, Japan was only able to see a PlayStation 2 release. However, An Xbox version was released in Asia under the...
(PlayStation 2, XboxXboxThe Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
) - Producer - Castlevania: Portrait of RuinCastlevania: Portrait of RuinCastlevania: Portrait of Ruin, known in Japan as , is an action video game developed and published by Konami. The game was released on November 16, 2006 in Japan, and in the US on December 5, 2006 for the Nintendo DS handheld game console...
(Nintendo DS) - Producer - Castlevania: Order of ShadowsCastlevania: Order of ShadowsCastlevania: Order of Shadows is a mobile game developed for the Java Platform, Micro Edition, and released by Konami in September 2007.-Gameplay:...
(mobile phone) - Producer - Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles (PlayStation PortablePlayStation PortableThe is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
) - Producer - Castlevania: Order of EcclesiaCastlevania: Order of EcclesiaCastlevania: Order of Ecclesia, known in Japan as , is the third Nintendo DS installment of the Castlevania franchise, developed by longtime Castlevania developer Koji Igarashi.-Gameplay:...
(Nintendo DS) - Producer - Castlevania JudgmentCastlevania JudgmentInitial reaction to the announcement that the game would be a fighting game was received by some with shock and skepticism. IGN's initial viewing of the pre-E3 build of the game made their reviewers conclude the game had promise...
(WiiWiiThe Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
) - Producer - Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirthCastlevania: The Adventure ReBirthCastlevania: The Adventure ReBirth, known in Japan as , is a side-scrolling action platform game developed by M2, and released by Konami for the Wii in as a WiiWare title. It is currently available in Japan, North America, Europe, and Australia...
(WiiWareWiiWareWiiWare is a service that allows Wii users to download games and applications specifically designed and developed for the Wii video game console made by Nintendo. These games and applications can only be purchased and downloaded from the Wii Shop Channel under the WiiWare section...
) - Producer - Castlevania: Harmony of DespairCastlevania: Harmony of DespairCastlevania: Harmony of Despair, known in Japan as , is a 2D action-adventure game. The game features a new map system that allows players to see the current quest map's entire setup, as well as up to six players at once over Xbox Live. The game was first leaked as an OFLCA Rating on May 27, 2010,...
(Xbox Live ArcadeXbox Live ArcadeXbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
) - Producer - Otomedius ExcellentOtomedius Excellentis an Xbox 360 game and the sequel to the 2007 arcade game Otomedius by Konami, which is a spin-off of the Gradius series. Otomedius Excellent features female characters representing different Konami franchises riding on vehicles or equipped with flying armor...
(Xbox 360Xbox 360The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
) - Producer - Leedmees (XBox 360Xbox 360The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
Kinect) - Producer
External links
- IGA Log IGA's personal blog.
- MobyGames profile: Koji Igarashi