Tetsuya Takahashi
Encyclopedia
Tetsuya Takahashi (born November 18, 1966 in Shizuoka Prefecture
, Japan
) is currently the head of game software company Monolith Soft
, Inc. In the past, Takahashi has worked at Square
(now Square Enix
) and on such games as Final Fantasy V
, Final Fantasy VI
and Chrono Trigger
. His most notable works are those within the Xenogears
(Square), Xenosaga
(Monolith Soft) and Xenoblade (Monolith Soft) series, all of which he directed.
He is married to Soraya Saga
, who also worked with him at Square Enix, as well as on Xenogears
, Xenosaga
, and Soma Bringer
. He is the co-founder and president of Monolith Soft
.
, before moving on to Squaresoft. In 1995 he married his Squaresoft coworker Kaori Tanaka, better known by her pen name Soraya Saga
. In October 1999 he left Squaresoft to start a new company, Monolith Soft
, together with Hirohide Sugiura.
Shizuoka Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Shizuoka.- History :Shizuoka prefecture was formed from the former Tōtōmi, Suruga and Izu provinces.The area was the home of the first Tokugawa Shogun...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
) is currently the head of game software company Monolith Soft
Monolith Soft
is a Japanese entertainment company that has created video games for the PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, Wii, Nintendo DS, and cell phones. The company was founded in 1999 by producer Hirohide Sugiura after he left Square Co. and accepted an investment from Namco...
, Inc. In the past, Takahashi has worked at Square
Square Co.
was a Japanese video game company founded in September 1983 by Masafumi Miyamoto. It merged with Enix in 2003 and became part of Square Enix...
(now Square Enix
Square Enix
is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
) and on such games as Final Fantasy V
Final Fantasy V
is a medieval-fantasy role-playing video game developed and published by Square in 1992 as a part of the Final Fantasy series. The game first appeared only in Japan on Nintendo's Super Famicom . It has been ported with minor differences to Sony's PlayStation and Nintendo's Game Boy Advance...
, Final Fantasy VI
Final Fantasy VI
is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square , released in 1994 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System as a part of the Final Fantasy series. Set in a fantasy world with a technology level equivalent to that of the Second Industrial Revolution, the game's story focuses on a...
and Chrono Trigger
Chrono Trigger
is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1995. Chrono Triggers development team included three designers that Square dubbed the "Dream Team": Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of Square's Final Fantasy series; Yuji Horii, a...
. His most notable works are those within the Xenogears
Xenogears
is a science-fiction console role-playing game developed and published by Square for Sony's PlayStation. It was released on February 11, 1998 in Japan and on October 20, 1998 in North America. The game was never released in PAL territories...
(Square), Xenosaga
Xenosaga
is a series of science fiction video games developed by Monolith Soft and published by Namco Bandai. Xenosaga's main story is in the form of a trilogy of PlayStation 2 video games. There have been three spin-off games and an anime adaptation. The Xenosaga series serves as a spiritual successor to...
(Monolith Soft) and Xenoblade (Monolith Soft) series, all of which he directed.
He is married to Soraya Saga
Soraya Saga
, also known by her pen name, , is a Japanese illustrator, designer, and video game story writer.She adopted as her pen name for several years before changing it to "Soraya Saga" circa 2001 . She worked for Square for many years, serving as a map designer on Final Fantasy V and Final Fantasy VI...
, who also worked with him at Square Enix, as well as on Xenogears
Xenogears
is a science-fiction console role-playing game developed and published by Square for Sony's PlayStation. It was released on February 11, 1998 in Japan and on October 20, 1998 in North America. The game was never released in PAL territories...
, Xenosaga
Xenosaga
is a series of science fiction video games developed by Monolith Soft and published by Namco Bandai. Xenosaga's main story is in the form of a trilogy of PlayStation 2 video games. There have been three spin-off games and an anime adaptation. The Xenosaga series serves as a spiritual successor to...
, and Soma Bringer
Soma Bringer
is a video game developed by Monolith Soft and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. It was released in Japan on February 28, 2008, and while it has not been announced for any other region, there is a fan-translation into English that is complete with the exception of the in-game...
. He is the co-founder and president of Monolith Soft
Monolith Soft
is a Japanese entertainment company that has created video games for the PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, Wii, Nintendo DS, and cell phones. The company was founded in 1999 by producer Hirohide Sugiura after he left Square Co. and accepted an investment from Namco...
.
Biography
Born on November 18th, 1966 in Shizuoka Prefecture in Japan. He began his career in video games in the 1980s working with Nihon FalcomFalcom
is a Japanese computer game company. The company was founded in March 1981 by Masayuki Kato. Falcom has played a definite role in the growth and development of the Japanese personal computer software industry. The company released the first Japanese computer role-playing game in 1983 and followed...
, before moving on to Squaresoft. In 1995 he married his Squaresoft coworker Kaori Tanaka, better known by her pen name Soraya Saga
Soraya Saga
, also known by her pen name, , is a Japanese illustrator, designer, and video game story writer.She adopted as her pen name for several years before changing it to "Soraya Saga" circa 2001 . She worked for Square for many years, serving as a map designer on Final Fantasy V and Final Fantasy VI...
. In October 1999 he left Squaresoft to start a new company, Monolith Soft
Monolith Soft
is a Japanese entertainment company that has created video games for the PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, Wii, Nintendo DS, and cell phones. The company was founded in 1999 by producer Hirohide Sugiura after he left Square Co. and accepted an investment from Namco...
, together with Hirohide Sugiura.
Game credits
- Dragon Slayer: The Legend of HeroesDragon Slayer: The Legend of HeroesDragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes is a role-playing game developed by the Nihon Falcom. It is the sixth game in the Dragon Slayer line of games, and the first in the The Legend of Heroes series....
(1989): Art - Final Fantasy IVFinal Fantasy IVis a role-playing video game developed and published by Square in 1991 as a part of the Final Fantasy series. The game was originally released for the Super Famicom in Japan and has since then been rereleased for many other platforms with varying modifications. An enhanced remake with 3D graphics...
(1991): Battle Graphics - Romancing SaGaRomancing SaGais a role-playing video game originally developed and published by Square as the fourth game of their SaGa series. Initially made available in January 1992 for the Super Famicom, the game was later ported to the WonderSwan Color handheld system in December 2002, with both releases being exclusive...
(1992): Field Graphics - Final Fantasy VFinal Fantasy Vis a medieval-fantasy role-playing video game developed and published by Square in 1992 as a part of the Final Fantasy series. The game first appeared only in Japan on Nintendo's Super Famicom . It has been ported with minor differences to Sony's PlayStation and Nintendo's Game Boy Advance...
(1992): Field Graphics - Secret of ManaSecret of ManaSecret of Mana is an action role-playing game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System developed and published by Square in 1993. The game was re-released for the Wii's Virtual Console in 2008, and was ported to Japanese mobile phones in 2009...
(1993): Map Graphic Design - Final Fantasy VIFinal Fantasy VIis a role-playing video game developed and published by Square , released in 1994 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System as a part of the Final Fantasy series. Set in a fantasy world with a technology level equivalent to that of the Second Industrial Revolution, the game's story focuses on a...
( 1994): Graphic Director - Front MissionFront Missionis a collection of video games and related media produced by Square, now Square Enix. The series was created by Toshiro Tsuchida and developed by G-Craft, a studio that was later absorbed by Square and is now with Square Enix as Product Development Division-6...
(1995): Graphic Design - Chrono TriggerChrono Triggeris a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1995. Chrono Triggers development team included three designers that Square dubbed the "Dream Team": Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of Square's Final Fantasy series; Yuji Horii, a...
(1995): Graphic Director - Seiken Densetsu 3Seiken Densetsu 3is an action role-playing game developed and published by Square for Nintendo's Super Famicom as a part of the Mana series.The game features three lengthy main plotlines, six different characters, each with their own storylines, and a wide range of classes to choose from, which provides each...
(1995): BG - Final Fantasy VIIFinal Fantasy VIIis a role-playing video game developed by Square and published by Sony Computer Entertainment as the seventh installment in the Final Fantasy series. It was originally released in 1997 for the Sony PlayStation and was re-released in 1998 for Microsoft Windows-based personal computers and in 2009...
(1997): Concept Art - XenogearsXenogearsis a science-fiction console role-playing game developed and published by Square for Sony's PlayStation. It was released on February 11, 1998 in Japan and on October 20, 1998 in North America. The game was never released in PAL territories...
(1998): Director, Scenario Writer - Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur MachtXenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Machtis a console role-playing game for the PlayStation 2 and the first title in the Xenosaga series. Der Wille zur Macht, "The Will to Power", is a reference to Friedrich Nietzsche's posthumous collection of notes and unused aphorisms, which was intended to become his magnum opus...
(2002): Director, Scenario Writer - Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und BöseXenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Böseis an RPG for the PlayStation 2 and the second title in the Xenosaga series. Jenseits von Gut und Böse, literally "Beyond Good and Evil", is taken from a philosophical work by Friedrich Nietzsche of the same name...
(2004): Original Author - Xenosaga: Pied Piper (2004): Story Writer
- Xenosaga I & II (2006): Scenario Writer
- Xenosaga Episode III: Also sprach ZarathustraXenosaga Episode III: Also sprach Zarathustrais an RPG for the PlayStation 2, and the third game in the primary Xenosaga trilogy. Also sprach Zarathustra, literally "Thus spoke Zarathustra", is also the title of Friedrich Nietzsche's most famous work, which introduced the concept of the Übermensch...
(2006): Author, Music Coordinator,Supervisor of Scenario and Database - Soma BringerSoma Bringeris a video game developed by Monolith Soft and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. It was released in Japan on February 28, 2008, and while it has not been announced for any other region, there is a fan-translation into English that is complete with the exception of the in-game...
(2008): Producer - Xenoblade Chronicles (2010): Concept, Executive Director, Scenario Writer
External links
- Tetsuya Takahashi profile at MobyGamesMobyGames-Platforms not yet included:- Further reading :* Rusel DeMaria, Johnny L. Wilson, High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games, McGraw-Hill/Osborne Media; 2 edition , ISBN 0-07-223172-6...
- "Tetsuya Takahashi bio & interviews" at "Study Guide to Tetsuya Takahashi's Xenoverse"