While Final Fantasy XV is continuing to receive support, such as the new Episode Gladiolus DLC months after its release, the bulk of the game’s design phase is relatively completed. Even though the Japanese video game industry has been known to keep employees for decades, it has grown somewhat more common to see long-time employees step away from or lose their positions when employed by a big developer. This is likely due to the more project-focused nature of the modern industry. As such, it appears that two big Square Enix employees are now leaving the company, one of which happens to be the Final Fantasy XV Art Director.

昨日、3/31日付けでスクウェア・エニックスを退社しました。
1999年に入社して以来18年と少しでした。FF10のコンセプトアーティストから始まってFF15まで素晴しい経験でした。
多くの人々との出会いと才能を発揮させてもらえる機会を与えてくれた会社には感謝の気持ちで一杯です。

— 上国料 勇 (@kamikoku2009) April 1, 2017

Isamu Kamikokuryo, the Final Fantasy XV Art Director and veteran Square Enix employee, announced on Twitter that on March 31st, he officially resigned from the company. Kamikokuryo started at Square Enix in 1999 as a concept artist for Final Fantasy X and worked his way up to become the art director of the latest game in the franchise. According to other tweets by Kamikokuryo, he has very much enjoyed working on the Final Fantasy games for Square Enix the past 18 years, but felt it was time to work on something new.

We also have learned that not long after Kamikokuryo announced his resignation, Square Enix producer Yoshinori Yamagishi announced his departure from the company as well. Yoshinori worked on several Square Enix games, such as Star Ocean and Valkyrie Profile, and has announced he is working on a new title with a different company. We here at Don’t Feed the Gamers thank both of these men for their work and wish them all the best as they drive off in the Regalia that is the future.

Are you guys sad to see these longtime Square Enix employees leave? Let us know in the comments section below, or start a discussion on our Disqus page. Be sure to stay tuned for the latest Final Fantasy news, such as the contents of the latest FFXV update, here on Don’t Feed the Gamers. As always, follow us on Twitter to see our updates the minute they go live!