Ryozo Tsujimoto (辻本良三, Tsujimoto Ryozo) (born October 18, 1973) is a Japanese video game producer and game designer. He…Ryozo Tsujimoto (辻本良三, Tsujimoto Ryozo) (born October 18, 1973) is a Japanese video game producer and game designer. He is currently an Executive Corporate Officer at Capcom. He is also the son of Capcom founder and CEO Kenzo Tsujimoto, and the younger brother of President and COO Haruhiro Tsujimoto.
Dance Dance Revolution (ダンスダンスレボリューション, Dansu Dansu Reboryūshon) (abbreviated DDR; also called DanRevo, Dance Revo, or…Dance Dance Revolution (ダンスダンスレボリューション, Dansu Dansu Reboryūshon) (abbreviated DDR; also called DanRevo, Dance Revo, or DanceRevo; stylized as DanceDanceRevolution since SuperNOVA) is a music video game series produced by Konami. Introduced in Japan in 1998 as part of the Bemani series, and released in North America and Europe in 1999, Dance Dance Revolution is the pioneering series of the rhythm and dance genre in video games. Players stand on a "dance platform" or stage and hit colored arrows laid out in a cross with their feet to musical and visual cues. Players are judged by how well they time their dance to the patterns presented to them and are allowed to choose more music to play to if they receive a passing score. Dance Dance Revolution has been met with critical acclaim for its originality and stamina in the video game market, as well as popularizing the use of videogames as a medium for fitness and exercise. There have been dozens of arcade-based releases across several countries and hundreds of home video game console releases, promoting a music library of original songs produced by Konami's in-house artists and an eclectic set of licensed music from many different genres. The game is also known for its passionate fanbase, as well as its growing competitive tournament scene. The DDR series has also inspired similar games such as Pump it Up by Andamiro and In the Groove by Roxor Games. The series' current arcade version is Dance Dance Revolution World, released on June 12, 2024.
Masaya Matsuura (松浦 雅也, Matsūra Masaya) (born June 16, 1961) is a Japanese musician and video game designer based in…Masaya Matsuura (松浦 雅也, Matsūra Masaya) (born June 16, 1961) is a Japanese musician and video game designer based in Tokyo, Japan. He was born in Osaka on June 16, 1961, and majored in Industrial Society at Ritsumeikan University. He has worked extensively with music production, sound design, and visuals, and has been active with the J-pop duo Psy-S. He has also been credited with popularizing the modern music video game at his studio NanaOn-Sha. In 2009, he was chosen by IGN as one of the top 100 game creators of all time.
Takashi Tezuka (手塚 卓志, Tezuka Takashi; born November 17, 1960), nicknamed Ten Ten, is a Japanese video game designer…Takashi Tezuka (手塚 卓志, Tezuka Takashi; born November 17, 1960), nicknamed Ten Ten, is a Japanese video game designer, director and producer. Since 1984, he has directed, produced, or supervised development of numerous games released by Nintendo. He is currently a senior officer of their Entertainment Planning & Development division, and was an executive officer of the company board of directors between 2018 and 2026. Tezuka assisted designer Shigeru Miyamoto on the platformer game Super Mario Bros. (1985) for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). The game was incredibly innovative and influential to the medium; it began the Super Mario game series, and revived the North American gaming industry after it had suffered a recession in 1983. Tezuka wrote for and helped Miyamoto design the action-adventure game The Legend of Zelda (1986), which began the Zelda series. The two have had a creative partnership on many projects in the four decades since. While directing Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988) for the NES and Super Mario World (1990) for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), Tezuka co-designed the dinosaur character Yoshi, who became a staple of the Mario and Yoshi series. He then directed The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (1991) for the SNES, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (1993) for the Game Boy, and Yoshi's Island (1995) for the SNES. His last game design credit was for Super Mario 64 (1996) for the Nintendo 64. Tezuka has since worked in managerial roles on games, rather than as a hands-on designer. Such titles include Animal Crossing (2001) for the Nintendo 64 and GameCube, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (2002) for the GameCube, Super Mario Galaxy 2 (2010) for the Wii, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017) for the Wii U and Nintendo Switch. All the aforementioned titles are considered by many outlets to be some of the best, most innovative, or most influential games ever released.
Tomohiro Nishikado (西角 友宏, Nishikado Tomohiro; born March 31, 1944) is a Japanese video game designer and engineer. He…Tomohiro Nishikado (西角 友宏, Nishikado Tomohiro; born March 31, 1944) is a Japanese video game designer and engineer. He is the creator of Taito's arcade video game Space Invaders, released in 1978, often credited as the first shoot 'em up and for beginning the golden age of arcade video games. Prior to Space Invaders, he also designed other earlier Taito arcade games, including the shooting electro-mechanical games Sky Fighter (1971) and Sky Fighter II, the sports video game TV Basketball in 1974, the vertical scrolling racing video game Speed Race (also known as Wheels) in 1974, the multi-directional shooter Western Gun (also known as Gun Fight) in 1975, and the first-person combat flight simulator Interceptor (1975).
Yuji Naka (中 裕司, Naka Yūji; born September 17, 1965), sometimes credited as YU2, is a Japanese former video game…Yuji Naka (中 裕司, Naka Yūji; born September 17, 1965), sometimes credited as YU2, is a Japanese former video game designer and programmer. He is the co-creator of the Sonic the Hedgehog series and was the president of Sonic Team at Sega until his departure in 2006. Naka joined Sega in 1984 and worked on games including Girl's Garden (1985) and Phantasy Star II (1989). He was the lead programmer of the original Sonic games on the Mega Drive in the early 1990s, which greatly increased Sega's market share. After developing Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) in Japan, Naka moved to California to develop Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992), Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994) and Sonic & Knuckles (1994) with Sega Technical Institute. Naka returned to Japan to lead development on Sonic Team games including Nights into Dreams (1996), Burning Rangers (1998), Sonic Adventure (1998) and Phantasy Star Online (2000). After Sega left the console market in 2001, Naka remained as an executive officer and oversaw its output for the next five years. In 2006, Naka left Sega and founded the independent game company Prope. He joined Square Enix to direct the platform game Balan Wonderworld (2021), which reunited him with the Sonic co-creator Naoto Ohshima. Naka said he was removed from the project six months before Balan Wonderworld was released, and it underperformed critically and commercially. He left Square Enix in April 2021. In 2023, Naka was found guilty of insider trading at Square Enix.