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Hironobu Sakaguchi
At the Japan Expo in Paris, France (2007)
Born	November 25, 1962 (1962-11-25) (age 45) Hitachi, Ibaraki, Japan
Nationality	Japanese
Occupation	President of Mistwalker Game producer

Hironobu Sakaguchi (坂口 博信, Sakaguchi Hironobu^?) (born November 25, 1962) is a Japanese game designer, game director and game producer. He is famous around the world as the creator of the Final Fantasy series, and he has had a long career in gaming with over 80 million units of video games sold worldwide. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 400 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (2,304 × 3,456 pixels, file size: 2. ... Japan Expo is a convention on all things Japanese, taking place in Paris, France. ... This article is about the capital of France. ... (NOTE: Some release dates listed are not global release dates. ... is the 329th day of the year (330th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Hitachi (日立市; -shi) is a city located on the Pacific Ocean in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. ... Ibaraki may refer to: Ibaraki, Osaka Ibaraki prefecture This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Mistwalker ) is a Japanese video game development studio started by Hironobu Sakaguchi (the creator of the popular Final Fantasy series) in 2004 with the financial backing of Microsoft. ... A game producer is the person in charge of overseeing development of a video game. ... is the 329th day of the year (330th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A game designer is a person who designs games. ... A game director is a person who is in-charge of significant creative aspects of a video game. ... A game producer is the person in charge of overseeing development of a video game. ... This article is about the Final Fantasy franchise. ... This article is about computer and video games. ...

Biography

Square

Sakaguchi was born in Hitachi, Ibaraki, Japan. He is a graduate student of Mito Senior High School. He went on to study electricity while attending Yokohama National University in the department of engineering, but he dropped out of the university with Hiromichi Tanaka during mid-course in 1983. Hitachi (日立市; -shi) is a city located on the Pacific Ocean in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. ... Electricity (from New Latin ēlectricus, amberlike) is a general term for a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. ... Yokohama National University (横浜国立大学) is a university in Yokohama, Japan. ... Hiromichi Tanaka ) (January 1, 1962 – ) is a Japanese video game developer working at Square Enix. ... Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ...

On leaving the university, Sakaguchi co-founded Square (now known as Square Enix) with Masafumi Miyamoto in September of 1983, which was a newly formed branch of Denyūsha Electric Company at the time. ^{[citation needed]}. Shortly following that, he became the Director of Planning and Development for that company. Their first games were very unsuccessful. Sakaguchi then decided to create his final work in the game industry with the rest of Square's money, and appropriately named it Final Fantasy. The game was released in Japan for the Famicom (also known internationally as the Nintendo Entertainment System) on December 18, 1987. The game became an instant hit across Japan, and surprised even Sakaguchi with how well it did. He came out of his retirement following the success. Final Fantasy developed into a successful franchise under Sakaguchi’s watchful eye, which spans from stand alone stories to spin-offs to direct sequels. In 1991, following the release Final Fantasy IV for the Super Famicom (also known internationally as the Super Nintendo Entertainment System), he was honoured with the position of Executive Vice President ^{[citation needed]}. His mostly hands-on involvement became a bit more lax following Final Fantasy VI, which was released on April 2, 1994 (for which he was the game producer, before that, he was the game director of all the Final Fantasy games up until Final Fantasy V) for the Super Famicom and one year later, in 1995, he became President at Square USA, Inc ^{[citation needed]}. He later went on to serve more as an executive producer of the series, as well as many of Square's other games, including Vagrant Story, Parasite Eve and Kingdom Hearts. Square Company, Limited ) was a Japanese video game company founded in September of 1983 by Masafumi Miyamoto and Hironobu Sakaguchi. ... SQUARE ENIX (Japanese: スクウェア・エニックス) is a Japanese producer of popular video games and manga. ... Masafumi Miyamoto was the founder of Squaresoft in 1983. ... For other uses, see September (disambiguation). ... Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ... Final Fantasy ) is a console role-playing game developed and published in Japan by Square (now Square Enix) in 1987 and published in North America by Nintendo of America in 1990, and is the inaugural game in Squares flagship Final Fantasy series. ... “NES” redirects here. ... is the 352nd day of the year (353rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1987 1987 in games 1986 in video gaming 1988 in video gaming Notable events of 1987 in video gaming. ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... Final Fantasy IV ) is a console role-playing game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix) in 1991 as a part of the Final Fantasy video game series. ... The Super Nintendo Entertainment System or Super NES (also called SNES and Super Nintendo) was a 16-bit video game console released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia, and Brazil between 1990 and 1993. ... A vice president is an officer in government or business who is next in rank below a president. ... Final Fantasy VI ) is a console role-playing game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix) in 1994 as a part of the Final Fantasy series. ... is the 92nd day of the year (93rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1994 1994 in games 1993 in video gaming 1995 in video gaming Notable events of 1994 in computer and video games. ... “FF5” redirects here. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... President is a title held by many leaders of organizations, companies, trade unions, universities, and countries. ... Vagrant Story ) is a console role-playing game developed and published by Square Co. ... Parasite Eve ) is a survival horror console role-playing game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix). ... This article contains information on the first Kingdom Hearts video game. ...

Hironobu Sakaguchi became the third person inducted into the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences' Hall of Fame on April 5, 2000. His Hall of Fame status was given to him because of the tremendous amount of video games he has sold and created. Since 1998, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) has annually inducted into its Hall of Fame video game developers that have made revolutionary and innovative achievements in the computer and video game industry. ... is the 95th day of the year (96th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... This article is about computer and video games. ...

Time as film director

A long time proponent of bringing together the story-telling vehicle of film and the interactive elements of games, Sakaguchi took the leap from games to film when he made his debut as film director in Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, an animated motion picture based on his world-famous Final Fantasy series. However, the movie was the second-biggest animated box office bomb in cinema history, losing over $120 million dollars and leading to the closure of Square Pictures. This article is about motion pictures. ... Director Herbert Brenon with actress Alla Nazimova on the set of War Brides, 1916 A director is a person who directs the making of a film. ... Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is a science fiction movie by Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of the Final Fantasy series of video games. ... Cleopatra is the biggest box-office bomb of all time. ... Square Pictures, located in Honolulu, Hawaii, was a computer-animated film division of Square Co. ...

Resignation from Square

Sakaguchi voluntarily stepped down from his post as an executive vice president at Square. This event also reduced Square's financial capital. Square soon merged with its rival, the Enix Corporation, which led to the creation of Square Enix in 2003. Sakaguchi founded Mistwalker with the financial backing of Microsoft Game Studios. The Enix Corporation ) was a company that produced Japanese video games and manga. ... Mistwalker ) is a Japanese video game development studio started by Hironobu Sakaguchi (the creator of the popular Final Fantasy series) in 2004 with the financial backing of Microsoft. ... Microsoft Game Studios (MGS), branded with current logo and moniker in 2002 (formerly the Microsoft Game Division or Microsoft Games), is a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft Corp. ...

Mistwalker

In 2001, he founded Mistwalker, which began operation in 2004. In February 2005, it was announced that Mistwalker would be working with Microsoft Game Studios to produce two computer role-playing games for the Xbox 360. Still, the company remains independent from console exclusivity. Aside from Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey, and Cry On, Sakaguchi is also producing ASH: Archaic Sealed Heat for Nintendo DS. Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... Mistwalker ) is a Japanese video game development studio started by Hironobu Sakaguchi (the creator of the popular Final Fantasy series) in 2004 with the financial backing of Microsoft. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... February 2005 : ← - January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December - → Pope John Paul II is taken to a hospital suffering from a serious case of influenza. ... Microsoft Game Studios (MGS), branded with current logo and moniker in 2002 (formerly the Microsoft Game Division or Microsoft Games), is a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft Corp. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... It has been suggested that Xbox 360 Elite be merged into this article or section. ... NDS redirects here. ...

Games credited

Hironobu Sakaguchi has been credited, in some capacity, with the following games.^[1]

• ASH: Archaic Sealed Heat
• Cry On
• Lost Odyssey (2007)
• Blue Dragon (2006)
• Final Fantasy X-2 (2003)
• Final Fantasy XI (2002)
• Final Fantasy Origins (2002)
• Kingdom Hearts (2002)
• Driving Emotion Type-S (2001)
• Final Fantasy Chronicles (2001)
• Final Fantasy X (2001)
• The Bouncer (2000)
• Final Fantasy IX (2000)
• Vagrant Story (2000)
• Chocobo Racing (1999)
• Chrono Cross (1999)
• Final Fantasy Anthology (1999)
• Final Fantasy VIII (1999)
• Front Mission 3 (1999)
• Parasite Eve II (1999)
• Saga Frontier 2 (1999)
• Brave Fencer Musashi (1998)
• Bushido Blade 2 (1998)
• Chocobo's Dungeon 2 (1998)
• Ehrgeiz (1998)
• Xenogears (1997)
• Bushido Blade (1997)
• Einhänder (1997)
• Final Fantasy Tactics (1997)
• Final Fantasy VII (1997)
• Bahamut Lagoon (1996)
• Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (1996)
• Tobal No.1 (1996)
• Chrono Trigger (1995)
• Seiken Densetsu 3 (1995)
• Final Fantasy VI (1994)
• Final Fantasy V (1992)
• Final Fantasy IV (1991)
• Final Fantasy III (1990)
• Final Fantasy II (1988)
• Final Fantasy (1987)
• Rad Racer (1987)

Cry On is an Action RPG currently in development by Mistwalker Studios for the Xbox 360. ... Lost Odyssey is an RPG currently in development by Mistwalker for the Xbox 360. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Blue Dragon is a RPG for the Xbox 360 video game console. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... It has been suggested that Characters of Final Fantasy X-2 be merged into this article or section. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Final Fantasy XI ), also known as Final Fantasy XI: Online, is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix) as a part of the Final Fantasy video game series. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... Final Fantasy Origins is a game for the PlayStation from Square Co. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... This article contains information on the first Kingdom Hearts video game. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... Driving Emotion Type-S ) is a racing game developed by Escape and published by Squaresoft for the Playstation 2. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... Final Fantasy Chronicles is a compilation of the computer role-playing games Final Fantasy IV and Chrono Trigger, released for the Sony PlayStation. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... Final Fantasy X ) is a console role-playing game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix), and the tenth installment in the Final Fantasy video game series; it was released in 2001, and is the first numbered Final Fantasy game for the Sony PlayStation 2 video game console. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... The Bouncer is a beat em up by Squaresoft featuring RPG elements. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... Final Fantasy IX ) is a console role-playing game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix), and the ninth installment in the Final Fantasy video game series. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... Vagrant Story ) is a console role-playing game developed and published by Square Co. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... Chocobo Racing , lit. ... This article is about the year. ... Chrono Cross ) is a console role-playing game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix) for the Sony PlayStation video game console. ... This article is about the year. ... Final Fantasy Anthology is a compilation of two Final Fantasy console role-playing games by Square for the Sony PlayStation. ... This article is about the year. ... Final Fantasy VIII ) is a console and computer role-playing game developed and published by Square Co. ... This article is about the year. ... Front Mission 3 is a game for the PlayStation, created by Square Co. ... This article is about the year. ... This video game article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is about the year. ... SaGa Frontier 2 is a PlayStation game released by Square Co. ... This article is about the year. ... Brave Fencer Musashi , Brave Fencer Musashiden) is a console role-playing game (RPG) published by Squaresoft in 1998 for the Sony PlayStation. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... Bushido Blade 2 is a fighting game published by Squaresoft, released in both Japan and North America in 1998. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... Chocobos Mysterious Dungeon and Chocobos Dungeon II are a pair of video games made for the Sony PlayStation, vaguely linked to the Final Fantasy series of adventures. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... Ehrgeiz: God Bless the Ring (German: lit. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... Xenogears ) is a console role-playing game developed and published by Square Co. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... Bushido Blade is a 3D fighting game series produced by Squaresoft for the PlayStation featuring one-on-one armed combat. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... Einhänder (アインハンダー) is a scrolling shooter game released by Squaresoft (now Square Enix) in 1997 and arguably the most successful non-RPG game produced by the company. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... Final Fantasy Tactics ) is a tactical role-playing game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix) for the Sony PlayStation video game console. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... Final Fantasy VII ) is a console role-playing game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix), and the seventh installment in the Final Fantasy video game series. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... Bahamut Lagoon ) is a Japanese tactical role-playing game developed and published by Square Co. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (スーパーマリオRPG) was the last Mario game made and released for the Super Famicom/Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and was the last Square-produced game for a Nintendo video game console until 2003, with the debut... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... Tobal No. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... Chrono Trigger ) is a console role-playing game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix) for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System video game console. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... Seiken Densetsu 3 , lit. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... Final Fantasy VI ) is a console role-playing game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix) in 1994 as a part of the Final Fantasy series. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) The year 1994 was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations. ... “FF5” redirects here. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... Final Fantasy IV ) is a console role-playing game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix) in 1991 as a part of the Final Fantasy video game series. ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... It has been suggested that Characters of Final Fantasy III be merged into this article or section. ... Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ... Final Fantasy II on the SNES, see Final Fantasy IV Foundation for a Free Information Infrastructure Final Fantasy II ) is a console role-playing game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix) in 1988 for the Nintendo Family Computer (Famicom, known internationally as the Nintendo Entertainment System) as a... Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ... Final Fantasy ) is a console role-playing game developed and published in Japan by Square (now Square Enix) in 1987 and published in North America by Nintendo of America in 1990, and is the inaugural game in Squares flagship Final Fantasy series. ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... Rad Racer, known as Highway Star in Japan on the Famicom, was a racing game made for the Nintendo Entertainment System. ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ...

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Hironobu Sakaguchi

• Hironobu Sakaguchi profile, interviews, and photo gallery at the Square Haven People Database
• Hironobu Sakaguchi profile at MobyGames