Fumito Ueda
Encyclopedia
is a video game designer born in Tatsuno, Hyōgo Prefecture
, Japan
in 1970. Ueda is director and lead designer of the PlayStation 2
video games Ico
and Shadow of the Colossus
.
He described himself as a very inquisitive child saying "I enjoyed catching and keeping living things, such as fish or birds. Other than that, I liked both watching and making animation. Basically, I seemed to be interested in things that moved." Among his favorite subjects in school was art: a discipline which still plays an active role in Ueda's life, and which under different circumstances could have led to an alternate choice of occupation. "If I was not in the games industry, I would want to become a classical artist. Though I regard not only games but also anything that expresses something - be it films, novels or manga
- as forms of art."
Ueda graduated from the Osaka University of Arts
in 1993.
In 1995, after trying to make a living as an artist, Ueda decided to pursue a career in the videogame industry.
He joined video game developer
WARP and worked as an animator
on the game Enemy Zero
for the Sega Saturn
under video game director Kenji Eno
. He described his time there as "arduous", as the game was behind schedule and everyone on the project had to work more than normal to meet the release deadline. In 1997, Ueda successfully joined Sony Computer Entertainment
as a first-party developer
.
His games have achieved popular cult status and are distinguished by a severe economy of plot and scenario, illustrated with overexposed, desaturated light and sparse dialogue. He describes this approach as "design by subtraction."
reported that Ueda and his team were working on a new game for the PlayStation 3
. No details about the unnamed title were revealed. In the August edition of PlayStation Magazine
Sony Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida
described the game as "really, really good". Yoshida also commented that both Ico
and Shadow of the Colossus
took 4 years to develop as a hint that the game is under production, but is not close to release. E3 2009 revealed the game as The Last Guardian, the trailer for which suggests a saga involving elements of both Ico and Shadow of the Colossus wherein a young boy resembling Ico partners up with a colossus-sized companion to complete puzzles. Ueda later confirmed The Last Guardian to be related to the two previous achievements.
In an interview, Ueda also admitted he would like to create a first person shooter after finishing The Last Guardian, citing Half-Life 2
as a source of interest.
computers (A500 first then A4000). This is uncommon in Japan where this range of computers was not very popular. During these years he learned to use Newtek Lightwave
, and eventually the first mock-ups and testbeds for Ico were created with Lightwave 3D. The main inspiration for Ico came from Eric Chahi
's Amiga classic Another World
, which was called Outer World in Japan.
Hyogo Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region on Honshū island. The capital is Kobe.The prefecture's name was previously alternately spelled as Hiogo.- History :...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in 1970. Ueda is director and lead designer of the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
video games Ico
Ico
is an action-adventure game published by Sony Computer Entertainment and released for the PlayStation 2 video game console. It was designed and directed by Fumito Ueda, who wanted to create a minimalist game around a "boy meets girl" concept. Originally planned for the PlayStation, Ico took...
and Shadow of the Colossus
Shadow of the Colossus
Shadow of the Colossus, released in Japan as , is an action-adventure game published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. The game was released in North America and Japan in October 2005 and PAL territories in February 2006...
.
He described himself as a very inquisitive child saying "I enjoyed catching and keeping living things, such as fish or birds. Other than that, I liked both watching and making animation. Basically, I seemed to be interested in things that moved." Among his favorite subjects in school was art: a discipline which still plays an active role in Ueda's life, and which under different circumstances could have led to an alternate choice of occupation. "If I was not in the games industry, I would want to become a classical artist. Though I regard not only games but also anything that expresses something - be it films, novels or manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
- as forms of art."
Ueda graduated from the Osaka University of Arts
Osaka University of Arts
is a private arts university located in Kanan, Minamikawachi District, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. The university was founded in 1945 as , changing its name to in 1957, and then to in 1964...
in 1993.
In 1995, after trying to make a living as an artist, Ueda decided to pursue a career in the videogame industry.
He joined video game developer
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
WARP and worked as an animator
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
on the game Enemy Zero
Enemy Zero
is a 1997 video game for Sega Saturn, developed by WARP and directed by Kenji Eno. After its Saturn release, it was ported to Microsoft Windows. It was the second game to star the digital actress Laura.-Gameplay:...
for the Sega Saturn
Sega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
under video game director Kenji Eno
Kenji Eno
is a musician and video game designer based in Japan. He is best-known for his cult survival horror series, the D games and his audio game series, Real Sound.-Childhood and early years:...
. He described his time there as "arduous", as the game was behind schedule and everyone on the project had to work more than normal to meet the release deadline. In 1997, Ueda successfully joined Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. is a major video game company specializing in a variety of areas in the video game industry, and is a wholly owned subsidiary and part of the Consumer Products & Services Group of Sony...
as a first-party developer
First-party developer
A video game development party can be one of two parties: a first-party or third-party developer.- First-party developer :In the video game industry, a first-party developer is a developer that is part of a company that manufactures a video game console, and develops exclusively for it...
.
His games have achieved popular cult status and are distinguished by a severe economy of plot and scenario, illustrated with overexposed, desaturated light and sparse dialogue. He describes this approach as "design by subtraction."
Future projects
In February 2007, Japanese gaming magazine FamitsuFamitsu
is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Enterbrain, Inc. and Tokuma. Currently, there are five Famitsū magazines: Shūkan Famitsū, Famitsū PS3 + PSP, Famitsū Xbox 360, Famitsū Wii+DS, and Famitsū Wave DVD...
reported that Ueda and his team were working on a new game for the PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
. No details about the unnamed title were revealed. In the August edition of PlayStation Magazine
PlayStation Magazine
This is the page related to the Italian video game magazine. PlayStation Magazine is also the former name of PlayStation: The Official MagazinePlayStation Magazine, also known by the acronym PSM, is an Italian video game magazine specializing in all Sony video game consoles and handheld gaming...
Sony Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida
Shuhei Yoshida
Shuhei Yoshida is appointed senior vice president, product development, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. and is responsible for all software development activities . Yoshida is among those responsible for the creation of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.'s 170-person internal product development team...
described the game as "really, really good". Yoshida also commented that both Ico
Ico
is an action-adventure game published by Sony Computer Entertainment and released for the PlayStation 2 video game console. It was designed and directed by Fumito Ueda, who wanted to create a minimalist game around a "boy meets girl" concept. Originally planned for the PlayStation, Ico took...
and Shadow of the Colossus
Shadow of the Colossus
Shadow of the Colossus, released in Japan as , is an action-adventure game published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. The game was released in North America and Japan in October 2005 and PAL territories in February 2006...
took 4 years to develop as a hint that the game is under production, but is not close to release. E3 2009 revealed the game as The Last Guardian, the trailer for which suggests a saga involving elements of both Ico and Shadow of the Colossus wherein a young boy resembling Ico partners up with a colossus-sized companion to complete puzzles. Ueda later confirmed The Last Guardian to be related to the two previous achievements.
In an interview, Ueda also admitted he would like to create a first person shooter after finishing The Last Guardian, citing Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2 , the sequel to Half-Life, is a first-person shooter video game and a signature title in the Half-Life series. It is singleplayer, story-driven, science fiction, and linear...
as a source of interest.
The genesis of Ico
Among other tools, Ueda was an owner of the Commodore AmigaAmiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
computers (A500 first then A4000). This is uncommon in Japan where this range of computers was not very popular. During these years he learned to use Newtek Lightwave
LightWave
LightWave 3D is a high end computer graphics program developed by NewTek. The latest release of LightWave runs on Windows and Mac OS X.- Overview:...
, and eventually the first mock-ups and testbeds for Ico were created with Lightwave 3D. The main inspiration for Ico came from Eric Chahi
Eric Chahi
Éric Chahi is a French computer game designer best known as the creator of Another World .- Career :Éric Chahi started programming on Oric Atmos and Amstrad during 1983 for the company Loriciels...
's Amiga classic Another World
Another World (video game)
Another World, also known as Out of This World in North America and Outer World in Japan, is a 1991 cinematic platformer designed and developed by Eric Chahi...
, which was called Outer World in Japan.
Works
- Enemy ZeroEnemy Zerois a 1997 video game for Sega Saturn, developed by WARP and directed by Kenji Eno. After its Saturn release, it was ported to Microsoft Windows. It was the second game to star the digital actress Laura.-Gameplay:...
(1997) - Animator - IcoIcois an action-adventure game published by Sony Computer Entertainment and released for the PlayStation 2 video game console. It was designed and directed by Fumito Ueda, who wanted to create a minimalist game around a "boy meets girl" concept. Originally planned for the PlayStation, Ico took...
(2001) - Director/Lead Designer/Lead Animator/Cover Design/Art Direction - Shadow of the ColossusShadow of the ColossusShadow of the Colossus, released in Japan as , is an action-adventure game published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. The game was released in North America and Japan in October 2005 and PAL territories in February 2006...
(2005) - Director/Lead Designer - The Last GuardianThe Last GuardianThe Last Guardian, known in Japan as and previously referred to by the working title Project Trico, is an upcoming video game developed by Team Ico, to be published exclusively for the PlayStation 3 video game console by Sony Computer Entertainment...
(2012) - Director