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Isamu Kamikokuryo and Yoshinori Yamagishi, two senior figures at Japanese developer Square Enix, left the company over the weekend.
Kamikokuryo had been with the company for 18 years, with work as an art supervisor and art director on many recent Final Fantasy titles, including Final Fantasy X, 12, 13,13-2 and 15.
He announced his departure via Twitter, which was translated by Siliconera, in it, he talks about starting out as a concept artist in the company in 1999 and explains that he’s now looking to take on freelance art and diction work.
"Yesterday, March 31, I resigned from Square Enix. It’s been a little over 18 years since joining the company in 1999. It was a wonderful experience, from starting out as a concept artist for Final Fantasy X to Final Fantasy XV. I feel nothing but gratitude for the company that provided me with the opportunity to meet so many people and display my talent. Although I feel as if I left my heart behind, I want to move forward onto drawing new things. From here on, I’ll do freelance art and diction work, and I’m thinking about reviving some writing activity as well. To all the staff, and to all the fans, thank you very much for supporting my drawings for such a long time."
Yamagishi is also leaving the company, after 20 years of experience as a lead producer at the company. He also delivered notice of his departure through Twitter (also translated by Siliconera): "This may be sudden, but I, Yamagishi, have resigned from Square Enix on March 31. Therefore, I’m retiring my role as Valkyrie Anatomia’s producer! I’m thinking about working on a new game with a different company, so I hope to have your support when the time comes. As for the announcement being on April 1st… I’ll let you decide to believe this or not."
Yamagashi has worked on Star Ocean and forthcoming Valkyrie Profile.
The two departures coincide with the end of the financial year.
