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Final Fantasy XV Art Director Kamikokuryo, Star Ocean Producer Yamagishi Resign From Square Enix
posted on by Karen Ressler
Art director Isamu Kamikokuryō and producer Yoshinori Yamagishi separately announced on Twitter on Saturday that they have left Square Enix as of March 31. Though they made their respective announcements on April Fool's Day, they have not retracted their statements since. Game developer Monobit announced on Tuesday that Yamagishi will head its new virtual reality (VR) division.
Kamikokuryo expressed his gratitude toward the company for allowing him to meet people and develop his skills, and shared plans to work freelance on both art and writing.
Kamikokuryo began working as a concept artist for Final Fantasy X in 1999. He served as art director on Final Fantasy XII, Final Fantasy XIII, and Final Fantasy XV, among other games.
Yamagishi was on board to produce Square Enix's upcoming Valkyrie Anatomia: The Origin smartphone game, but he said in his announcement that he will no longer fill this role.
In Monobit's press release, Yamaigishi stated that he plans to use his experience in RPGs to work on VR RPGs. The new division aims to ultimately create a VR massive multiplayer online RPG.
At Square Enix, Yamagishi served as producer for Star Ocean and Valkyrie Profile games.
Sources: Gematsu (Sal Romano), 4Gamer via Gematsu, VG 24/7 ( Stephany Nunneley)
