Dragon Quest series producer Ryutaro Ichimura has departed from JRPG developer and publisher Square Enix after nearly 20 years of working with them. Ichimura announced the news on March 31st via his personal Twitter account as seen below:
“I’ve started to count how many more games I’ll be able to make in my lifetime,” Ichimura says via a translation of the tweet provided by and with thanks to Gematsu. “Especially now, when it takes three to four years to make a game, we have to carefully consider each title we make.”
Ichimura states further within the memo that after a period of rest and reflection, he will continue working within the games industry. He writes “…I’d like to leave this blessed environment, and explore what can be made if I dare to push myself into a higher-risk environment.”
Ichimura worked as a producer on titles such as the beloved Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King and Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies. He also worked within the development team on spinoff games such as Dragon Quest Builders and Dragon Quest Heroes. His last project was Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest The Adventures of Dai, which recently got a worldwide release date.
Personally, I wish him nothing but goodwill as he seeks greater challenges and meaning beyond the beloved titles he has helped deliver to fans far and wide.
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Source: Gematsu
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