The man behind beloved titles such as Final Fantasy Tactics and Bravely Default has left Square Enix.
Legendary game character designer Akihiko Yoshida has officially resigned from his post at Square Enix after having been with the company for over a decade.
Ever since he joined the team at Square Enix way back in 1995, Yoshida has designed characters for many of Square’s popular games and franchises including Tactics Ogre, Final Fantasy Tactics, Bravely Default, and Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn. His farewell address to his fans has been included in the companion artbook for Bravely Default as well as posted up on Square Enix’s website.
While the original address is written in Japanese, Square Enix also provided an English translation which reads thusly:
“This is a personal message of mine, but I’d like to say thank you for all the support these past 18 years. I have decided to leave Square Enix, but I believe our relationship will continue going on. And as long as I’m needed [laughs,] I will continue working on the Bravely Default series. Thank you for your continued support.
Bravely Default main character designer & lead artist,
Akihiko Yoshida.”
Even though a large part of the casual gamer community may not immediately know who he is, many of them have more than likely seen and played Yoshida’s work first-hand. He will no-doubt be missed by Square Enix fans who treasured his games.
