Yoshinori Kitase
Yoshinori Kitase (北瀬 佳範, Kitase Yoshinori, born 23 September 1966) is a Japanese game director and producer working for Square Enix. He is known as the director of Final Fantasy VI, Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII and Final Fantasy X, and the producer of the Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy XIII series. Kitase is a Vice President, a member of the Board of Directors and an Executive Officer at Square Enix.[1] He is currently the head of Square Enix's Creative Business Unit I and was the head of Square Enix's Business Division 1 during its entire existence as well as a Corporate Executive. He is also part of the Final Fantasy Committee that is tasked with keeping the franchise's releases and content consistent.[2][3]
Yoshinori Kitase | |
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![]() At the E3 in Los Angeles, California in 2009 | |
Born | |
Nationality | Japanese |
Alma mater | Nihon University |
Occupation | Vice President |
Employer | Square Enix |
Biography
In July 1978, at the age of 11, Kitase watched the movie Star Wars for the first time and was deeply impressed with it. He later examined the making-of video to it and became interested in the creative process of the film industry. Kitase decided to attend the Nihon University College of Art and studied screenwriting and filmmaking. Although he enjoyed filming, he showed a much greater passion for post-production editing as he felt it allowed him to give the footage a completely new meaning and to appeal to the viewers' feelings. In his first year after the graduation, Kitase worked at a small animation studio that produced animated television programs and commercials. When he played Final Fantasy for the first time, he considered a switch to the game industry as he felt that it had potential when it came to animation and storytelling.[4] Despite having no software development knowledge, he applied at the game development company Square and was hired in March 1990. In the ten years to follow, he gathered experience as an "event scripter", directing the characters' movements and facial expressions on the game screen as well as setting the timings and music transitions. He has compared this work to directing film actors.[5] Kitase continued directing cutscenes in spite of filling other roles in later projects; for example, he directed part of the event scenes in Final Fantasy VIII and was event planner for the Nibelheim section of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII.[6][7]
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When many players responded to the sci-fi world of Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII by requesting a "simple fantasy world", Kitase tried to expand the definition of the word "fantasy" beyond that of a medieval European setting. This led to Southeast Asia being the backdrop for Final Fantasy X.[8] Kitase referred to Final Fantasy VII and its protagonist Cloud Strife as his favorite game and character, respectively.[9] In an interview, he said that he loves first-person shooters.[10] Kitase supervised the Final Fantasy VII: Technical Demo for PS3. Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi feels that he "handed the torch to" Kitase as far as heading the series is concerned.[11]
Works
Release | Title | System | Credit(s) |
---|---|---|---|
1991 | Final Fantasy Adventure | Game Boy | Game design, scenario |
1992 | Romancing SaGa | Super Nintendo Entertainment System | Field map design |
1992 | Final Fantasy V | Super Nintendo Entertainment System | Field planner, event planner, scenario writer[12] |
1994 | Final Fantasy VI | Super Nintendo Entertainment System | Director, event planner, scenario writer[12] |
1995 | Chrono Trigger | Super Nintendo Entertainment System | Co-director, scenario writer[13] |
1997 | Final Fantasy VII | PlayStation | Director, scenario writer |
1998 | Ehrgeiz | PlayStation | FF VII staff |
1999 | Final Fantasy VIII | PlayStation | Director, story, system designer, event scene direction[14][6] |
2001 | Final Fantasy X | PlayStation 2 | Producer, chief director, scenario writer[15][16][17] |
2002 | Kingdom Hearts | PlayStation 2 | Co-producer |
2003 | Unlimited Saga | PlayStation 2 | Special thanks |
2003 | Final Fantasy X-2 | PlayStation 2 | Producer |
2004 | Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII | Mobile phone | Executive producer |
2004 | Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories | Game Boy Advance | Producer |
2005 | Romancing SaGa | PlayStation 2 | Special thanks |
2005 | Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children | Film | Producer |
2005 | Last Order: Final Fantasy VII | Anime | Executive producer |
2005 | Kingdom Hearts II | PlayStation 2 | Co-producer |
2006 | Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII | PlayStation 2 | Producer |
2006 | Final Fantasy V Advance | Game Boy Advance | Supervisor |
2006 | Final Fantasy VI Advance | Game Boy Advance | Supervisor |
2006 | Dawn of Mana | PlayStation 2 | Special thanks |
2007 | Heroes of Mana | Nintendo DS | Special thanks |
2007 | Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII | PlayStation Portable | Executive producer, event planner[7] |
2008 | Sigma Harmonics | Nintendo DS | Producer |
2008 | Dissidia: Final Fantasy | PlayStation Portable | Producer |
2009 | Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete | Film | Producer |
2009 | Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light | Nintendo DS | Special thanks |
2009 | Final Fantasy XIII | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows | Producer, Crystal Tools development staff (for PS3 & 360) |
2010 | Final Fantasy XIV | Windows | Crystal tools |
2010 | The 3rd Birthday | PlayStation Portable | Producer |
2011 | Dissidia 012: Final Fantasy | PlayStation Portable | Special thanks |
2011 | Final Fantasy Type-0 | PlayStation Portable | Producer |
2011 | Final Fantasy XIII-2 | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows | Producer |
2012 | Theatrhythm Final Fantasy | Nintendo 3DS | Special thanks |
2013 | Final Fantasy: All The Bravest | iOS, Android | Special thanks |
2013 | Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows | Producer |
2013 | Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster | PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4, Windows | Producer (PS3, PS Vita), special thanks (PS4, Windows) |
2014 | Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call | Nintendo 3DS | Special thanks |
2014 | Final Fantasy VII G-Bike | iOS, Android | Executive producer[2] |
2015-2020 | Mobius Final Fantasy | iOS, Android, Windows | Producer |
2015 | Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius | iOS, Android | Special thanks |
2015 | Dissidia Final Fantasy (2015 video game) | Arcade | Special thanks[18] |
2016 | Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV | Film | Special thanks |
2016 | Final Fantasy XV | PlayStation 4, Xbox One | Special thanks, original producer[A] |
2017 | Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward (Patch 3.56) | Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Mac OS X | Special thanks |
2017 | Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood | Windows, PlayStation 4, Mac OS X | Special thanks |
2017 | Itadaki Street: Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary | PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita | Special thanks |
2017 | Final Fantasy Dimensions II | iOS, Android | Special thanks |
2018 | Dissidia Final Fantasy NT | PlayStation 4 | Special thanks |
2019 | Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers | Windows, PlayStation 4, Mac OS X | Special thanks |
2019 | Final Fantasy VIII Remastered | PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Windows | Special thanks, supervisor[19] |
2019 | Romancing SaGa 3 remaster | PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, Switch, Windows, iOS, Android | Executive officer |
2019 | SaGa: Scarlet Grace Ambitions English Version | PlayStation 4, Switch, Windows, iOS, Android | Executive officer |
2019 | War of the Visions: Final Fantasy Brave Exvius | iOS, Android | Special thanks |
2019 | Star Ocean: First Departure R | PlayStation 4, Switch | Creative business unit I vice president |
2020 | Final Fantasy VII Remake | PlayStation 4 | Producer |
Notes
- A Kitase was a producer on Final Fantasy XV until the end of 2013.
References
- "Board of Directors". Square Enix. 2019. Archived from the original on 13 May 2016. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
- "【インタビュー(完全版)】『ファイナルファンタジーVII Gバイク』 いま明かされる開発秘話". Famitsu. 27 June 2014. Archived from the original on 30 April 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
- "What Does Square Enix's Final Fantasy Committee Do?". Siliconera. 25 March 2014. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 13 May 2019. Retrieved 13 May 2019.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Archived copy" 「ハリウッド映画に負けていますか?」 スクウェア・エニックスプロデューサー北瀬 佳範 (in Japanese). Kodansha. 25 November 2009. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2013.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- Studio BentStuff. Final Fantasy VIII Ultimania (in Japanese). Square Enix. p. 464.
- Martin, Joe (26 April 2008). "Crisis Core: Interviewing Yoshinori Kitase". Interview. bit-tech. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2011.
- "Beyond FINAL FANTASY – Interviews". FINAL FANTASY X Bonus DVD. Square Enix Co., Ltd. Archived from the original on 23 May 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2011.
Yoshinori Kitase: For Final Fantasy VII and VIII, the setting was sci-fi and many players responded by saying that they preferred a simple fantasy world. They seemed to have a fixed notion of what fantasy means to them, and to them, it consisted of a medieval European world. I wanted to change that idea. I wanted to expand the definition of what the players thought the word "fantasy" implied.
- "Yoshinori Kitase on FFXIII, FFVII and Dissidia". VideoGamer.com. 8 May 2009. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
- Cheng, Justin (19 May 2005). "E3 2005: Yoshinori Kitase Interview". IGN. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 19 July 2010.
- "Hironobu Sakaguchi and Hajime Tabata Discuss Their Passion for the Series and Behind-the-Scenes Episodes from the Final Fantasy XV Reveal Event". Famitsu. 13 May 2016. Archived from the original on 11 June 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
- Parish, Jeremy (24 February 2010). "Final Fantasy: Kitase's Inside Story". 1UP.com. UGO Networks. Retrieved 11 September 2010.
- "Procyon Studio: Interview with Masato Kato". Cocoebiz.com. November 1999. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 3 June 2007.
- "Interview with Nomura, Kitase and Naora". Shūkan Famitsu. ASCII Corporation. 5 June 1998. Archived from the original on 23 February 2011. Retrieved 23 February 2011.
- "Interview: Final Fantasy X". Core Magazine. 6 March 2001. Archived from the original on 13 April 2001.
- "Interview with Final Fantasy X Developers". The Madman's Cafe. 19 January 2001. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
- Studio BentStuff. Final Fantasy X Ultimania Omega (in Japanese). Square Enix. pp. 192, 476.
- "Staff Credit". Archived from the original on 21 February 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
- "Talking FINAL FANTASY VIII Remastered with YOSHINORI KITASE // Meme Review".