Hiroyuki Ito
Encyclopedia
, also credited with the spelling Hiroyuki Itou, is a Japanese game producer
, game director
and game designer who has been working for Square Enix
since 1987. He is famous for being the creator of Active Time Battle (ATB) and Active Dimension Battle (ADB). He is also famous for being the director and game designer of Final Fantasy VI
, Final Fantasy IX
and Final Fantasy XII
.
in 1987 just after finishing college. He was initially aiming to join a large software development company but could not find any work. As a result, he joined Square, a small company at the time, as a debugger
to help pay his bills while he continued to look for work at a larger company.
. After this game was released, Square
was planning to close due to the poor sales and reception of their games. They decided to develop one last game called Final Fantasy
. While debugging this game, Hiroyuki Ito played the game earnestly and sometimes did not sleep for 2-3 days as he was worried that if the game was unsuccessful that Square would close and he would lose his job. The game was a success when released and saved the company from bankruptcy. Ito went on to be a debugger for the sequel Final Fantasy II
and then participated in other projects in various roles other than debugging.
For Final Fantasy III
he was responsible for the sound effects used in the game. He also served as a debugger and took a deep interest in the "Job" system. After the release of Final Fantasy III, he decided to stay at Square permanently and no longer look for work at another software company.
He was given his first major role in Rad Racer II where he was the game designer. He had a huge enthusiasm for Formula One
since before he joining the company. While designing Rad Racer II, he would watch Formula One as much as possible so he could better understand the sport and what makes racing enjoyable to people. The discoveries and acquired knowledge he gained were put into the game. When it was eventually released, it was well received by critics but didn't sell very well, so it was decided by management to not make any future games in the series.
. The game was the first for the Super Nintendo and was initially being designed to have a turn-based battle system. However, Ito was watching a Formula One
race one day and upon seeing the racers pass each other at various speeds, he came up with an interesting idea of each character having a speed value and that affecting when it will be their turn. He began to create an in-depth article with illustrations that explained his idea and the underlying gameplay mechanics that would make it function. He also took a lot of inspiration from the NFL. He called this new battle system, Active Time Battle (ATB). Hiroyuki Ito felt that the jump in power from NES to SNES should also mean that the battle system in Final Fantasy makes a similar jump. When Final Fantasy IV was eventually released, the ATB system was very positively received by critics ad gamers. Square filed a Japanese patent application
related to the ATB system on July 16, 1991 and a corresponding US application on March 16, 1992. One Japanese patent (JP2794230) and two US patents (US5390937 and US5649862) were granted based on these applications. Hiroyuki Ito next worked on Final Fantasy V
, where he refined the ATB system and also created the Ability Point (ABP) system and a new, fully customizable Job system. He also introduced the ATB gauge that appears on the right side of the battle menu.
Hiroyuki Ito next worked as the game designer of Final Fantasy VI
, where he was responsible for all the gameplay aspects such as the ATB system, Esper Magicite system, Relic system, the unique gameplay attributes of each of the playable characters, and all the various items, equipment, relics, espers and spells obtainable in the game. He decided to change the acronym of the ABP system to AP system as he felt the acronym should only include the first letter of the words 'Ability Point' like the acronym ATB for 'Active Time Battle'. He was also responsible for the structure, pacing and flow of the entire game and tried to strike a balance between the gameplay and story so the game didn't feel too story-driven. He did this by mixing event scenes with gameplay and also making the player constantly have to explore the world map to get to new areas that would advance the story. An example of him mixing event scenes with gameplay is in the Opera House. The player has to interactivity enter the correct lyrics for Celes and also perform some of her stage movements; they then have to run around the building as Locke to reach and battle Ultros, who wants to sabotage the show. The original event scene for the Opera House by Yoshinori Kitase
had no player interactivity apart from pressing the "A" button after each dialogue box and Ultros didn't even show up at the scene. Ito decided modify it by adding more player interactivity in an effort to balance the story with gameplay. Another example is the dinning meeting with Emperor Gestahl. The original event scene by Kitase had the player going straight into the dinning room and taking a seat and then just pressing the "A" button after each dialogue box until the dining meeting was over. Ito modified it so the player had to first explore and speak to all the soldiers within a time limit, some of which would even want to battle. After the time was up, they then participated in the dinner and had a choice of dialogue to say to Emperor Gestahl. Depending on how many soldiers they spoke to and their dialogue choices to Emperor Gestahl, they were given a number of rewards by the Emperor's attendant after the dinner. Hiroyuki Ito believes that making events scenes require player interactivity allows for greater player immersion and therefore makes the world feel more like a real place and not just a backdrop of a story. He eventually became the co-director of Final Fantasy VI when the original director Hironobu Sakaguchi
stepped down due to being too busy with other commitments.
The next game Ito worked on was Chrono Trigger
. The game was in development at the same time as Final Fantasy VI but by a different development team. When developemnt of Final Fantasy VI was complete, Hironobu Sakaguchi moved Hiroyuki Ito and Yoshinori Kitase over to the Chrono Trigger team as he wanted to speed up the games development so it could be released early the next year. Sakaguchi appointed Ito and Kitase to be co-directors alongside the existing directors Takashi Tokita
and Akihiko Matsui
. While Ito checked the current content and progress of the game, he noticed that all the event scenes in the game only required the player to press the "A" button after dialogue boxes. As a result of noticing this, he decided to step down as a director and to the position of an event planner so he could put all his time and effort into modifying the event scenes in the game to require more player interactivity like he did with the event scenes in Final Fantasy VI. Although he was an event planner, he was also responsible for the locations of enemies on the field map and how it would seamlessly transition into a battle when a player approached where they were located. Due to battles taking place on the field map, he also had to create a short event scene for when every battle started that would transition the gameplay from exploration to battle. His experience working on the battle transitions in Chrono Trigger made him want to continue making games without random battles.
and a group of other fomer Quest Corporation
employees joined Square
. At the time, Hironobu Sakaguchi
was a huge fan of the game Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen
and he had been privately encouraging the director Yasumi Matsuno to join Square. Sakaguchi promised Matsuno he would provide him with his best staff to help him develop games for Square. However, Sakaguchi had not told anybody else about this arrangement, so when Matsuno the other Quest staff arrived at Square, everybody was surprised as they never knew they were joining the company. Hiroyuki Ito and Hideo Minaba believed that these new staff members were going to be part of new development team Sakaguchi was founding and they both joked that the they would be their new rival team. However, they thought nothing majorly threatening of it and continued working the early concept and planning of Final Fantasy VII
for the PlayStation. However, the next day, Sakaguchi came to Hiroyuki Ito and Hideo Minaba took him to one side and told them he was pulling them out of the Final Fantasy VII project so they could help the Quest staff make their game. They were both hesitant at first as the Quest staff were complete strangers to them, but Sakaguchi pleaded as he really loved the work of Matsuno and wanted to give him his best staff to help make his games. At the time, Ito was Sakaguchi's favourite game designer at the company and Minaba was his favourite artist. Ito and Minaba eventually agreed and Sakaguchi gave Ito the responsibility of being game designer so the gameplay of Matsuno's game felt like a Final Fantasy. Minaba was given the responsibility of designing the maps so the game looked like a Final Fantasy. However, he specifically instructed them to give Matsuno complete freedom to write whatever story he wanted, even if it didn't feel like a Final Fantasy. This game eventually went on to become Final Fantasy Tactics
. Hiroyuki Ito was the game designer and battle system main planner for the game where he created the Charge Time Battle (CTB) system and further evolved the Job system he created for Final Fantasy V to have even more customization. Although he left the Final Fantasy VII project very early in development, his creations the ATB and AP systems were both still used in the game.
He made his return to the main Final Fantasy series with Final Fantasy VIII
, where he was initially the game designer and battle system designer. However, during this time, Sakaguchi was developing the film Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
at Honolulu and decided he also wanted to develop a Final Fantasy game at the same location. He pulled Hiroyuki Ito out of the Final Fantasy VIII project and brought him over to Honolulu to to be the director and game designer of the game. Due to being pulled out of the project, Ito was only the battle system designer of Final Fantasy VIII and his contributions to the game were the battle system and Junction system. He also created the concept and blueprint of the Triple Triad card game, which was developed for the game by another developer when Ito left the Final Fantasy VIII project.
His work on Final Fantasy IX involved him being responsible for all the gameplay aspects such as the ATB system, Equipment Ability system, the unique gameplay attributes of each of the playable characters, and all the various items, equipment and spells obtainable in the game. Also, as with Final Fantasy VI
, he was responsible for the pacing and flow of the entire game and tried to strike a balance between the gameplay and event scenes so the game didn't feel too story-driven. In further pursuit of this goal, he created the Active Time Event (ATE) system as a means of making the event scenes more interactive and part of the gameplay experience. He introduced the Trance system as he felt the Limit systems of Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII could be easily abused by the player. Trance was triggered automatically when the bar was full and therefore could be not be saved for another battle against a more powerful foe. It also could not be used as much as a player liked when a characters health was low. He made these changes as he wanted players to be victorious in battle by relying more on their skill and battle strategies rather than on a Limit system. Ito initially wanted the ATB system in Final Fantasy IX to be the fastest version of it so far used in the series. However, due to Final Fantasy IX being a reflection of all the past numbered Final Fantasy games, Sakaguchi wanted the ATB system slowed down so it felt like a hybrid of the ATB system and the traditional turn-based system that appeared in the first three Final Fantasy games. Ito also created Mognet and the Chocobo Hot & Cold mini-game.
as both game designer and battle system director. He was also the director of the game, first with Yasumi Matsuno
, and then with Hiroshi Minagawa
when Yasumi Matsuno left the project due to sickness. The game contains his latest creations, which are the seamless Active Dimension Battle (ADB) system, AI
customization Gambit system, and open character growth system, the License Board. The reason for the long development cycle was due to Ito needing a large amount of time to perfect a new seamless battle system. During the early days of development of Final Fantasy XII, he would visit Product Development Division 3, where the Final Fantasy XI
team were based, and play with its battle system and analyse its design. He would also consult with the battle system designer for the game, Akihiko Matsui
, who he had worked with when making the semi-seamless battle system of Chrono Trigger. They discussed the complications and challenges of making a 3D seamless battle system. The initial plan of Ito was to use the same engine as FFXI much like how FFII used the same engine as FFI. However, Matsui made it known that the FFXI engine benefited greatly from the hardrive of the PS2 and PC. Realising he didn't have this feature to use, Ito started developing a new engine for FFXII from scratch and began to design a seamless battle system that used no hard drive and yet would surpass the one used in FFXI. As with when he created the ATB system, he took a lot of influence from the NFL. This battle system went on to take 4 years to design, develop, perfect, and get running smoothly on PS2 hardware without needing a hardrive. Ito called this new battle system "Active Dimension Battle" (ADB).
Hiroyuki Ito initially intended to give Final Fantasy XII a "Job" system that worked by there being multiple License Boards that a character could swap between at anytime. However, he decided to drop the "Job" system as he felt that using the ADB system and "Job" system would be too complicated for players trying to adjust to the new ADB system. As a result, he made it so there was only one License Board and all the spells and abilities in the game were on this board. He hoped that despite each character being able to learn eveything, players would still give them specific jobs by giving each character unique Gambits. Also, the Gambit system was initially not going to allow the player to put them on the party leader. The party leader was to be always player controlled with the player enter commands for them on the battle menu. However, Ito changed his mind about this as he felt that some players may want to grind and therefore not want to have to enter the same commands over and over for the party leader. As a result, he made it so it's possible for the player to put Gambits on the entire party.
Due to the worldwide critical acclaim of Final Fantasy XII
, Hiroyuki Ito was offered a promotion to the position of game producer
by Yoichi Wada
, president of Square Enix
. However, Ito declined the offer as he still wanted a hands-on role in game development. As a result, rather than Wada retracting the offer, he instead promoted him to a Producer/Direcor, which is a hybrid of both a game director and game producer. Ito became the first Final Fantasy developer to have both these roles at the same time. Wada decided to trial the position by assigning Ito to create an International version of Final Fantasy XII
. Ito was to lead the team as a director but consult on the progess of the game directly to Wada as a producer. The trial was a success and Wada stated that by cutting out an extra person in the communication channel, he was able to directly communicate with the person directing the game and therefore get a better grasp of the game's actual content and current completion. At the Square Enix Party 2007 pre-conference meeting, he was introduced on stage as the Producer and director of Final Fantasy XII International Zodiac Job System. Wada has since also given the position of Producer/Director to Naoki Yoshida, who he placed in charge of Final Fantasy XIV
when he restructured the development team due to the negative reception of the initial Windows version.
. However, due to Ito being very busy working on a large unannounced project and also not being an employee of 1st Production Department, he could only reach Ito via e-mail. He sent a playable demo file of Vaan and asked Ito for his opinion and if he wants anything added to the way Vaan plays in the game. Ito replied two days later saying he received the e-mail and that he will try and make time to play the demo despite his busy schedule. A further two weeks later, Ito replied again saying, "Vaan is great! You even gave him my favourite victory pose. Good job!"
In November 2011, Yoshinori Kitase confrimed that Hiroyuki Ito was still working for Square Enix.
games released as of present date, according to Metacritic
. The three Final Fantasy games that Hiroyuki Ito has directed have the highest aggregate review scores out of all games in the series. Final Fantasy IX
, which Hiroyuki Ito directed by himself, is the most critically acclaimed Final Fantasy game ever made, according to the website. It is also the favorite Final Fantasy game of series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi
and renowned series composer Nobuo Uematsu
. Final Fantasy XII
is the only game in the series to get a perfect score from Famitsu
magazine. It is also the only game to make the highly regarded Japan
ese list, "New Japanese Styles Top 100" (Shin Nihon Yoshiki 100-sen), which is an elite list praising Japanese creativity and new innovations.
game, Hiroyuki Ito avoids making it story-driven; he instead balances the story with an equal amount of RPG gameplay. After producing Final Fantasy XII International Zodiac Job System, he expressed a desire to evolve the gameplay ideas he created for Final Fantasy XII
and use them in various places.
The following credits belong to a different Hiroyuki Ito who was a former employee of Jupiter Corporation
. He has now been working for Square Enix since September, 2008:
Game producer
A video game producer is the person in charge of overseeing development of a video game.The earliest documented use of the term producer in games was by Trip Hawkins, who established the position when he founded Electronic Arts in 1982...
, game director
Game director
Game director may refer to:* Video game producer, the person in charge of overseeing development of a video game* Technical director, usually a senior technical person within creative group...
and game designer who has been working for Square Enix
Square Enix
is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
since 1987. He is famous for being the creator of Active Time Battle (ATB) and Active Dimension Battle (ADB). He is also famous for being the director and game designer of Final Fantasy VI
Final Fantasy VI
is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square , released in 1994 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System as a part of the Final Fantasy series. Set in a fantasy world with a technology level equivalent to that of the Second Industrial Revolution, the game's story focuses on a...
, Final Fantasy IX
Final Fantasy IX
is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation video game console. It is the ninth title in the Final Fantasy series. The game introduced new features to the series like the 'Active Time Event', 'Mognet' and a unique equipment and skill system.Final Fantasy IXs...
and Final Fantasy XII
Final Fantasy XII
is a console role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 2. Released in 2006, it is the twelfth title in the Final Fantasy series and the last in the series to be released exclusively on the PlayStation platform...
.
Joining Square
Hiroyuki Ito joined SquareSquare (company)
was a Japanese video game company founded in September 1983 by Masafumi Miyamoto. It merged with Enix in 2003 and became part of Square Enix...
in 1987 just after finishing college. He was initially aiming to join a large software development company but could not find any work. As a result, he joined Square, a small company at the time, as a debugger
Debugger
A debugger or debugging tool is a computer program that is used to test and debug other programs . The code to be examined might alternatively be running on an instruction set simulator , a technique that allows great power in its ability to halt when specific conditions are encountered but which...
to help pay his bills while he continued to look for work at a larger company.
Nintendo Entertainment System era
The first game Hiroyuki Ito worked on was Rad RacerRad Racer
Rad Racer, known in Japan as , is a racing game developed and published by Square for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987. It was programmed by Nasir Gebelli, designed and supervised by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and featured music by Nobuo Uematsu, all of whom later contributed to Final Fantasy in...
. After this game was released, Square
Square (company)
was a Japanese video game company founded in September 1983 by Masafumi Miyamoto. It merged with Enix in 2003 and became part of Square Enix...
was planning to close due to the poor sales and reception of their games. They decided to develop one last game called Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy (video game)
is a fantasy role-playing video game created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, developed and first published in Japan by Square in 1987. It is the first game in Square's Final Fantasy series...
. While debugging this game, Hiroyuki Ito played the game earnestly and sometimes did not sleep for 2-3 days as he was worried that if the game was unsuccessful that Square would close and he would lose his job. The game was a success when released and saved the company from bankruptcy. Ito went on to be a debugger for the sequel Final Fantasy II
Final Fantasy II
is a fantasy role-playing video game developed and published by Square in 1988 for the Family Computer as the second installment of the Final Fantasy series. The game has received numerous enhanced remakes for the WonderSwan Color, the Sony PlayStation, Japanese mobile phones, the Game Boy...
and then participated in other projects in various roles other than debugging.
For Final Fantasy III
Final Fantasy III
is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square in for the Family Computer as the third installment in the Final Fantasy series. It is the first numbered Final Fantasy game to feature the job-change system....
he was responsible for the sound effects used in the game. He also served as a debugger and took a deep interest in the "Job" system. After the release of Final Fantasy III, he decided to stay at Square permanently and no longer look for work at another software company.
He was given his first major role in Rad Racer II where he was the game designer. He had a huge enthusiasm for Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
since before he joining the company. While designing Rad Racer II, he would watch Formula One as much as possible so he could better understand the sport and what makes racing enjoyable to people. The discoveries and acquired knowledge he gained were put into the game. When it was eventually released, it was well received by critics but didn't sell very well, so it was decided by management to not make any future games in the series.
Super Nintendo Entertainment System era
His next major role was as battle system designer for Final Fantasy IVFinal Fantasy IV
is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square in 1991 as a part of the Final Fantasy series. The game was originally released for the Super Famicom in Japan and has since then been rereleased for many other platforms with varying modifications. An enhanced remake with 3D graphics...
. The game was the first for the Super Nintendo and was initially being designed to have a turn-based battle system. However, Ito was watching a Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
race one day and upon seeing the racers pass each other at various speeds, he came up with an interesting idea of each character having a speed value and that affecting when it will be their turn. He began to create an in-depth article with illustrations that explained his idea and the underlying gameplay mechanics that would make it function. He also took a lot of inspiration from the NFL. He called this new battle system, Active Time Battle (ATB). Hiroyuki Ito felt that the jump in power from NES to SNES should also mean that the battle system in Final Fantasy makes a similar jump. When Final Fantasy IV was eventually released, the ATB system was very positively received by critics ad gamers. Square filed a Japanese patent application
Patent application
A patent application is a request pending at a patent office for the grant of a patent for the invention described and claimed by that application. An application consists of a description of the invention , together with official forms and correspondence relating to the application...
related to the ATB system on July 16, 1991 and a corresponding US application on March 16, 1992. One Japanese patent (JP2794230) and two US patents (US5390937 and US5649862) were granted based on these applications. Hiroyuki Ito next worked on Final Fantasy V
Final Fantasy V
is a medieval-fantasy role-playing video game developed and published by Square in 1992 as a part of the Final Fantasy series. The game first appeared only in Japan on Nintendo's Super Famicom . It has been ported with minor differences to Sony's PlayStation and Nintendo's Game Boy Advance...
, where he refined the ATB system and also created the Ability Point (ABP) system and a new, fully customizable Job system. He also introduced the ATB gauge that appears on the right side of the battle menu.
Hiroyuki Ito next worked as the game designer of Final Fantasy VI
Final Fantasy VI
is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square , released in 1994 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System as a part of the Final Fantasy series. Set in a fantasy world with a technology level equivalent to that of the Second Industrial Revolution, the game's story focuses on a...
, where he was responsible for all the gameplay aspects such as the ATB system, Esper Magicite system, Relic system, the unique gameplay attributes of each of the playable characters, and all the various items, equipment, relics, espers and spells obtainable in the game. He decided to change the acronym of the ABP system to AP system as he felt the acronym should only include the first letter of the words 'Ability Point' like the acronym ATB for 'Active Time Battle'. He was also responsible for the structure, pacing and flow of the entire game and tried to strike a balance between the gameplay and story so the game didn't feel too story-driven. He did this by mixing event scenes with gameplay and also making the player constantly have to explore the world map to get to new areas that would advance the story. An example of him mixing event scenes with gameplay is in the Opera House. The player has to interactivity enter the correct lyrics for Celes and also perform some of her stage movements; they then have to run around the building as Locke to reach and battle Ultros, who wants to sabotage the show. The original event scene for the Opera House by Yoshinori Kitase
Yoshinori Kitase
is a Japanese game producer and former game director that has been working for Square Enix since April 1, 1990. He is mostly known for his work on the role-playing video game series Final Fantasy and is currently the manager of 1st Production Department....
had no player interactivity apart from pressing the "A" button after each dialogue box and Ultros didn't even show up at the scene. Ito decided modify it by adding more player interactivity in an effort to balance the story with gameplay. Another example is the dinning meeting with Emperor Gestahl. The original event scene by Kitase had the player going straight into the dinning room and taking a seat and then just pressing the "A" button after each dialogue box until the dining meeting was over. Ito modified it so the player had to first explore and speak to all the soldiers within a time limit, some of which would even want to battle. After the time was up, they then participated in the dinner and had a choice of dialogue to say to Emperor Gestahl. Depending on how many soldiers they spoke to and their dialogue choices to Emperor Gestahl, they were given a number of rewards by the Emperor's attendant after the dinner. Hiroyuki Ito believes that making events scenes require player interactivity allows for greater player immersion and therefore makes the world feel more like a real place and not just a backdrop of a story. He eventually became the co-director of Final Fantasy VI when the original director Hironobu Sakaguchi
Hironobu Sakaguchi
is a Japanese game designer, game director and game producer. He is world famous as the creator of the Final Fantasy series, and has had a long career in gaming with over 100 million units of video games sold worldwide...
stepped down due to being too busy with other commitments.
The next game Ito worked on was Chrono Trigger
Chrono Trigger
is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1995. Chrono Triggers development team included three designers that Square dubbed the "Dream Team": Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of Square's Final Fantasy series; Yuji Horii, a...
. The game was in development at the same time as Final Fantasy VI but by a different development team. When developemnt of Final Fantasy VI was complete, Hironobu Sakaguchi moved Hiroyuki Ito and Yoshinori Kitase over to the Chrono Trigger team as he wanted to speed up the games development so it could be released early the next year. Sakaguchi appointed Ito and Kitase to be co-directors alongside the existing directors Takashi Tokita
Takashi Tokita
is a Japanese video game developer working for Square Enix. He has worked there since 1985, and has worked as the lead designer for Final Fantasy IV as well as the director of Parasite Eve and Chrono Trigger.-Biography:...
and Akihiko Matsui
Akihiko Matsui
Akihiko Matsui is a video game developer and battle designer working for Square Enix . He was notably the director for Chrono Trigger with Yoshinori Kitase and Takashi Tokita.- Work history :...
. While Ito checked the current content and progress of the game, he noticed that all the event scenes in the game only required the player to press the "A" button after dialogue boxes. As a result of noticing this, he decided to step down as a director and to the position of an event planner so he could put all his time and effort into modifying the event scenes in the game to require more player interactivity like he did with the event scenes in Final Fantasy VI. Although he was an event planner, he was also responsible for the locations of enemies on the field map and how it would seamlessly transition into a battle when a player approached where they were located. Due to battles taking place on the field map, he also had to create a short event scene for when every battle started that would transition the gameplay from exploration to battle. His experience working on the battle transitions in Chrono Trigger made him want to continue making games without random battles.
PlayStation era
In late 1995, Yasumi MatsunoYasumi Matsuno
is a video game designer. He is one of a few designers to have two games receive a perfect score by Famitsu magazine. Vagrant Story and Final Fantasy XII were critically acclaimed by the magazine with a 40/40 score.-Early projects:...
and a group of other fomer Quest Corporation
Quest Corporation
was a Japanese video game company founded in 1988. They were originally known as Bothtec, which had developed The Scheme, a Metroidvania-style open world action role-playing game featuring music by Yuzo Koshiro, that same year....
employees joined Square
Square (company)
was a Japanese video game company founded in September 1983 by Masafumi Miyamoto. It merged with Enix in 2003 and became part of Square Enix...
. At the time, Hironobu Sakaguchi
Hironobu Sakaguchi
is a Japanese game designer, game director and game producer. He is world famous as the creator of the Final Fantasy series, and has had a long career in gaming with over 100 million units of video games sold worldwide...
was a huge fan of the game Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen
Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen
is a 1993 real-time strategy role-playing video game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, directed by Yasumi Matsuno with artwork by Akihiko Yoshida...
and he had been privately encouraging the director Yasumi Matsuno to join Square. Sakaguchi promised Matsuno he would provide him with his best staff to help him develop games for Square. However, Sakaguchi had not told anybody else about this arrangement, so when Matsuno the other Quest staff arrived at Square, everybody was surprised as they never knew they were joining the company. Hiroyuki Ito and Hideo Minaba believed that these new staff members were going to be part of new development team Sakaguchi was founding and they both joked that the they would be their new rival team. However, they thought nothing majorly threatening of it and continued working the early concept and planning of Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy VII
is a role-playing video game developed by Square and published by Sony Computer Entertainment as the seventh installment in the Final Fantasy series. It was originally released in 1997 for the Sony PlayStation and was re-released in 1998 for Microsoft Windows-based personal computers and in 2009...
for the PlayStation. However, the next day, Sakaguchi came to Hiroyuki Ito and Hideo Minaba took him to one side and told them he was pulling them out of the Final Fantasy VII project so they could help the Quest staff make their game. They were both hesitant at first as the Quest staff were complete strangers to them, but Sakaguchi pleaded as he really loved the work of Matsuno and wanted to give him his best staff to help make his games. At the time, Ito was Sakaguchi's favourite game designer at the company and Minaba was his favourite artist. Ito and Minaba eventually agreed and Sakaguchi gave Ito the responsibility of being game designer so the gameplay of Matsuno's game felt like a Final Fantasy. Minaba was given the responsibility of designing the maps so the game looked like a Final Fantasy. However, he specifically instructed them to give Matsuno complete freedom to write whatever story he wanted, even if it didn't feel like a Final Fantasy. This game eventually went on to become Final Fantasy Tactics
Final Fantasy Tactics
is a tactical role-playing game developed and published by Square for the Sony PlayStation video game console. It is the first game of the Final Fantasy Tactics series and was released in Japan in June 1997 and in the United States in January 1998...
. Hiroyuki Ito was the game designer and battle system main planner for the game where he created the Charge Time Battle (CTB) system and further evolved the Job system he created for Final Fantasy V to have even more customization. Although he left the Final Fantasy VII project very early in development, his creations the ATB and AP systems were both still used in the game.
He made his return to the main Final Fantasy series with Final Fantasy VIII
Final Fantasy VIII
is a role-playing video game released for the PlayStation in 1999 and for Windows-based personal computers in 2000. It was developed and published by Square as the Final Fantasy series' eighth title, removing magic point-based spell-casting and the first title to consistently use realistically...
, where he was initially the game designer and battle system designer. However, during this time, Sakaguchi was developing the film Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is a 2001 Japanese-American computer animated science fiction film directed by Hironobu Sakaguchi, creator of the Final Fantasy series of role-playing video games. It was the first photorealistic computer animated feature film and also holds the record for the most...
at Honolulu and decided he also wanted to develop a Final Fantasy game at the same location. He pulled Hiroyuki Ito out of the Final Fantasy VIII project and brought him over to Honolulu to to be the director and game designer of the game. Due to being pulled out of the project, Ito was only the battle system designer of Final Fantasy VIII and his contributions to the game were the battle system and Junction system. He also created the concept and blueprint of the Triple Triad card game, which was developed for the game by another developer when Ito left the Final Fantasy VIII project.
His work on Final Fantasy IX involved him being responsible for all the gameplay aspects such as the ATB system, Equipment Ability system, the unique gameplay attributes of each of the playable characters, and all the various items, equipment and spells obtainable in the game. Also, as with Final Fantasy VI
Final Fantasy VI
is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square , released in 1994 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System as a part of the Final Fantasy series. Set in a fantasy world with a technology level equivalent to that of the Second Industrial Revolution, the game's story focuses on a...
, he was responsible for the pacing and flow of the entire game and tried to strike a balance between the gameplay and event scenes so the game didn't feel too story-driven. In further pursuit of this goal, he created the Active Time Event (ATE) system as a means of making the event scenes more interactive and part of the gameplay experience. He introduced the Trance system as he felt the Limit systems of Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII could be easily abused by the player. Trance was triggered automatically when the bar was full and therefore could be not be saved for another battle against a more powerful foe. It also could not be used as much as a player liked when a characters health was low. He made these changes as he wanted players to be victorious in battle by relying more on their skill and battle strategies rather than on a Limit system. Ito initially wanted the ATB system in Final Fantasy IX to be the fastest version of it so far used in the series. However, due to Final Fantasy IX being a reflection of all the past numbered Final Fantasy games, Sakaguchi wanted the ATB system slowed down so it felt like a hybrid of the ATB system and the traditional turn-based system that appeared in the first three Final Fantasy games. Ito also created Mognet and the Chocobo Hot & Cold mini-game.
PlayStation 2 era
When development of Final Fantasy IX was finished, he returned to Tokyo and began work on Final Fantasy XIIFinal Fantasy XII
is a console role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 2. Released in 2006, it is the twelfth title in the Final Fantasy series and the last in the series to be released exclusively on the PlayStation platform...
as both game designer and battle system director. He was also the director of the game, first with Yasumi Matsuno
Yasumi Matsuno
is a video game designer. He is one of a few designers to have two games receive a perfect score by Famitsu magazine. Vagrant Story and Final Fantasy XII were critically acclaimed by the magazine with a 40/40 score.-Early projects:...
, and then with Hiroshi Minagawa
Hiroshi Minagawa
is a Japanese game director and game artist who has been working for Square Enix since 1995. Prior to working for Square Enix, he worked for Quest Corporation.-Biography:...
when Yasumi Matsuno left the project due to sickness. The game contains his latest creations, which are the seamless Active Dimension Battle (ADB) system, AI
Ai
AI, A.I., Ai, or ai may refer to:- Computers :* Artificial intelligence, a branch of computer science* Ad impression, in online advertising* .ai, the ISO Internet 2-letter country code for Anguilla...
customization Gambit system, and open character growth system, the License Board. The reason for the long development cycle was due to Ito needing a large amount of time to perfect a new seamless battle system. During the early days of development of Final Fantasy XII, he would visit Product Development Division 3, where the Final Fantasy XI
Final Fantasy XI
, also known as Final Fantasy XI Online, is a MMORPG developed and published by Square as part of the Final Fantasy series. It was released in Japan on Sony's PlayStation 2 on May 16, 2002, and was released for Microsoft's Windows-based personal computers in November 2002...
team were based, and play with its battle system and analyse its design. He would also consult with the battle system designer for the game, Akihiko Matsui
Akihiko Matsui
Akihiko Matsui is a video game developer and battle designer working for Square Enix . He was notably the director for Chrono Trigger with Yoshinori Kitase and Takashi Tokita.- Work history :...
, who he had worked with when making the semi-seamless battle system of Chrono Trigger. They discussed the complications and challenges of making a 3D seamless battle system. The initial plan of Ito was to use the same engine as FFXI much like how FFII used the same engine as FFI. However, Matsui made it known that the FFXI engine benefited greatly from the hardrive of the PS2 and PC. Realising he didn't have this feature to use, Ito started developing a new engine for FFXII from scratch and began to design a seamless battle system that used no hard drive and yet would surpass the one used in FFXI. As with when he created the ATB system, he took a lot of influence from the NFL. This battle system went on to take 4 years to design, develop, perfect, and get running smoothly on PS2 hardware without needing a hardrive. Ito called this new battle system "Active Dimension Battle" (ADB).
Hiroyuki Ito initially intended to give Final Fantasy XII a "Job" system that worked by there being multiple License Boards that a character could swap between at anytime. However, he decided to drop the "Job" system as he felt that using the ADB system and "Job" system would be too complicated for players trying to adjust to the new ADB system. As a result, he made it so there was only one License Board and all the spells and abilities in the game were on this board. He hoped that despite each character being able to learn eveything, players would still give them specific jobs by giving each character unique Gambits. Also, the Gambit system was initially not going to allow the player to put them on the party leader. The party leader was to be always player controlled with the player enter commands for them on the battle menu. However, Ito changed his mind about this as he felt that some players may want to grind and therefore not want to have to enter the same commands over and over for the party leader. As a result, he made it so it's possible for the player to put Gambits on the entire party.
Due to the worldwide critical acclaim of Final Fantasy XII
Final Fantasy XII
is a console role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 2. Released in 2006, it is the twelfth title in the Final Fantasy series and the last in the series to be released exclusively on the PlayStation platform...
, Hiroyuki Ito was offered a promotion to the position of game producer
Game producer
A video game producer is the person in charge of overseeing development of a video game.The earliest documented use of the term producer in games was by Trip Hawkins, who established the position when he founded Electronic Arts in 1982...
by Yoichi Wada
Yoichi Wada
is the current president and representative director of the Japanese video game and publishing company Square Enix as well as its subsidiary Taito...
, president of Square Enix
Square Enix
is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
. However, Ito declined the offer as he still wanted a hands-on role in game development. As a result, rather than Wada retracting the offer, he instead promoted him to a Producer/Direcor, which is a hybrid of both a game director and game producer. Ito became the first Final Fantasy developer to have both these roles at the same time. Wada decided to trial the position by assigning Ito to create an International version of Final Fantasy XII
Final Fantasy XII
is a console role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 2. Released in 2006, it is the twelfth title in the Final Fantasy series and the last in the series to be released exclusively on the PlayStation platform...
. Ito was to lead the team as a director but consult on the progess of the game directly to Wada as a producer. The trial was a success and Wada stated that by cutting out an extra person in the communication channel, he was able to directly communicate with the person directing the game and therefore get a better grasp of the game's actual content and current completion. At the Square Enix Party 2007 pre-conference meeting, he was introduced on stage as the Producer and director of Final Fantasy XII International Zodiac Job System. Wada has since also given the position of Producer/Director to Naoki Yoshida, who he placed in charge of Final Fantasy XIV
Final Fantasy XIV
, also known as Final Fantasy XIV Online, is the fourteenth installment in the Final Fantasy series. It was released in September 2010 for Microsoft Windows, with a PlayStation 3 port in development. The game is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game and is developed and published by...
when he restructured the development team due to the negative reception of the initial Windows version.
PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 era
During the creation of Dissidia 012: Final Fantasy, the battle system director, , attempted to consult with Hiroyuki Ito about the fighting style of VaanVaan
is a fictional character in the Final Fantasy series, and the main protagonist of Final Fantasy XII.-Concept and creation:Fellow Final Fantasy XII characters Balthier and then Basch were initially meant to be the main character of the story, but the focus was eventually shifted to Vaan when the...
. However, due to Ito being very busy working on a large unannounced project and also not being an employee of 1st Production Department, he could only reach Ito via e-mail. He sent a playable demo file of Vaan and asked Ito for his opinion and if he wants anything added to the way Vaan plays in the game. Ito replied two days later saying he received the e-mail and that he will try and make time to play the demo despite his busy schedule. A further two weeks later, Ito replied again saying, "Vaan is great! You even gave him my favourite victory pose. Good job!"
In November 2011, Yoshinori Kitase confrimed that Hiroyuki Ito was still working for Square Enix.
Reception
Hiroyuki Ito has directed the most critically acclaimed Final FantasyFinal Fantasy
is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and is developed and owned by Square Enix . The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science-fantasy role-playing video games , but includes motion pictures, anime, printed media, and other merchandise...
games released as of present date, according to Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. The three Final Fantasy games that Hiroyuki Ito has directed have the highest aggregate review scores out of all games in the series. Final Fantasy IX
Final Fantasy IX
is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation video game console. It is the ninth title in the Final Fantasy series. The game introduced new features to the series like the 'Active Time Event', 'Mognet' and a unique equipment and skill system.Final Fantasy IXs...
, which Hiroyuki Ito directed by himself, is the most critically acclaimed Final Fantasy game ever made, according to the website. It is also the favorite Final Fantasy game of series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi
Hironobu Sakaguchi
is a Japanese game designer, game director and game producer. He is world famous as the creator of the Final Fantasy series, and has had a long career in gaming with over 100 million units of video games sold worldwide...
and renowned series composer Nobuo Uematsu
Nobuo Uematsu
is a Japanese video game composer, best known for scoring the majority of titles in the Final Fantasy series. He is considered as one of the most famous and respected composers in the video game community...
. Final Fantasy XII
Final Fantasy XII
is a console role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 2. Released in 2006, it is the twelfth title in the Final Fantasy series and the last in the series to be released exclusively on the PlayStation platform...
is the only game in the series to get a perfect score from Famitsu
Famitsu
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...
magazine. It is also the only game to make the highly regarded 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...
ese list, "New Japanese Styles Top 100" (Shin Nihon Yoshiki 100-sen), which is an elite list praising Japanese creativity and new innovations.
Game design philosophy
When directing a Final FantasyFinal Fantasy
is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and is developed and owned by Square Enix . The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science-fantasy role-playing video games , but includes motion pictures, anime, printed media, and other merchandise...
game, Hiroyuki Ito avoids making it story-driven; he instead balances the story with an equal amount of RPG gameplay. After producing Final Fantasy XII International Zodiac Job System, he expressed a desire to evolve the gameplay ideas he created for Final Fantasy XII
Final Fantasy XII
is a console role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 2. Released in 2006, it is the twelfth title in the Final Fantasy series and the last in the series to be released exclusively on the PlayStation platform...
and use them in various places.
Works
| Game | Release | System | Credit(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rad Racer Rad Racer Rad Racer, known in Japan as , is a racing game developed and published by Square for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987. It was programmed by Nasir Gebelli, designed and supervised by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and featured music by Nobuo Uematsu, all of whom later contributed to Final Fantasy in... |
1987 | Nintendo Entertainment System Nintendo Entertainment System The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987... |
Debugger (uncredited) |
| Final Fantasy Final Fantasy (video game) is a fantasy role-playing video game created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, developed and first published in Japan by Square in 1987. It is the first game in Square's Final Fantasy series... |
1987 | Nintendo Entertainment System Nintendo Entertainment System The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987... |
Debugger (uncredited) |
| Final Fantasy II Final Fantasy II is a fantasy role-playing video game developed and published by Square in 1988 for the Family Computer as the second installment of the Final Fantasy series. The game has received numerous enhanced remakes for the WonderSwan Color, the Sony PlayStation, Japanese mobile phones, the Game Boy... |
1988 | Nintendo Entertainment System Nintendo Entertainment System The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987... |
Debugger (uncredited) |
| Square's Tom Sawyer | 1989 | Nintendo Entertainment System Nintendo Entertainment System The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987... |
Planning |
| Final Fantasy Legend Final Fantasy Legend The Final Fantasy Legend, known in Japan as Makai Toushi Sa·Ga , is a video game released for the Game Boy in December 1989 by Square Co. It is the first game in the SaGa series and the first role-playing video game for the system... |
1989 | Game Boy Game Boy The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on... |
Scenario, map designer |
| Final Fantasy III Final Fantasy III is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square in for the Family Computer as the third installment in the Final Fantasy series. It is the first numbered Final Fantasy game to feature the job-change system.... |
1990 | Nintendo Entertainment System Nintendo Entertainment System The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987... |
Sound effects |
| Rad Racer II | 1990 | Nintendo Entertainment System Nintendo Entertainment System The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987... |
Game designer |
| Final Fantasy IV Final Fantasy IV is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square in 1991 as a part of the Final Fantasy series. The game was originally released for the Super Famicom in Japan and has since then been rereleased for many other platforms with varying modifications. An enhanced remake with 3D graphics... |
1991 | Super Nintendo Entertainment System Super Nintendo Entertainment System The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short... |
Battle system designer |
| Final Fantasy V Final Fantasy V is a medieval-fantasy role-playing video game developed and published by Square in 1992 as a part of the Final Fantasy series. The game first appeared only in Japan on Nintendo's Super Famicom . It has been ported with minor differences to Sony's PlayStation and Nintendo's Game Boy Advance... |
1992 | Super Nintendo Entertainment System Super Nintendo Entertainment System The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short... |
Job system designer, battle system designer |
| Final Fantasy VI Final Fantasy VI is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square , released in 1994 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System as a part of the Final Fantasy series. Set in a fantasy world with a technology level equivalent to that of the Second Industrial Revolution, the game's story focuses on a... |
1994 | Super Nintendo Entertainment System Super Nintendo Entertainment System The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short... |
Director, game designer, battle system designer |
| Chrono Trigger Chrono Trigger is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1995. Chrono Triggers development team included three designers that Square dubbed the "Dream Team": Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of Square's Final Fantasy series; Yuji Horii, a... |
1995 | Super Nintendo Entertainment System Super Nintendo Entertainment System The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short... |
Event planner |
| Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, often shortened and officially known in Japan as , is an action role-playing game developed by Square and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System . It was originally released on March 9, 1996 in Japan and on May 13,... |
1996 | Super Nintendo Entertainment System Super Nintendo Entertainment System The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short... |
Special thanks |
| Final Fantasy Tactics Final Fantasy Tactics is a tactical role-playing game developed and published by Square for the Sony PlayStation video game console. It is the first game of the Final Fantasy Tactics series and was released in Japan in June 1997 and in the United States in January 1998... |
1997 | PlayStation | Game designer, battle system main planner |
| Final Fantasy VIII Final Fantasy VIII is a role-playing video game released for the PlayStation in 1999 and for Windows-based personal computers in 2000. It was developed and published by Square as the Final Fantasy series' eighth title, removing magic point-based spell-casting and the first title to consistently use realistically... |
1999 | PlayStation | Battle system designer, Triple Triad concept, Chocobo World game designer |
| Final Fantasy IX Final Fantasy IX is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation video game console. It is the ninth title in the Final Fantasy series. The game introduced new features to the series like the 'Active Time Event', 'Mognet' and a unique equipment and skill system.Final Fantasy IXs... |
2000 | PlayStation | Director, game designer, battle system director, Tetra Master concept, "Melodies of Life" lyricist |
| Chocobo on the Job | 2000 | WonderSwan Color | Game designer |
| Final Fantasy XI Final Fantasy XI , also known as Final Fantasy XI Online, is a MMORPG developed and published by Square as part of the Final Fantasy series. It was released in Japan on Sony's PlayStation 2 on May 16, 2002, and was released for Microsoft's Windows-based personal computers in November 2002... |
2002 | 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... , Windows |
Special thanks |
| Final Fantasy XII Final Fantasy XII is a console role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 2. Released in 2006, it is the twelfth title in the Final Fantasy series and the last in the series to be released exclusively on the PlayStation platform... |
2006 | 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... |
Director, game designer, battle system director |
| Final Fantasy V Advance Final Fantasy V is a medieval-fantasy role-playing video game developed and published by Square in 1992 as a part of the Final Fantasy series. The game first appeared only in Japan on Nintendo's Super Famicom . It has been ported with minor differences to Sony's PlayStation and Nintendo's Game Boy Advance... |
2006 | Game Boy Advance Game Boy Advance The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China... |
Supervisor |
| Final Fantasy VI Advance Final Fantasy VI is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square , released in 1994 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System as a part of the Final Fantasy series. Set in a fantasy world with a technology level equivalent to that of the Second Industrial Revolution, the game's story focuses on a... |
2006 | Game Boy Advance Game Boy Advance The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China... |
Supervisor |
| Final Fantasy XII Revenant Wings | 2007 | Nintendo DS Nintendo DS The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP... |
Special thanks |
| Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions is a tactical role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix for the Sony PlayStation Portable and iOS. The game is an updated version of Final Fantasy Tactics for the PlayStation video game console.... |
2007 | PlayStation Portable PlayStation Portable The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004... |
Supervisor, game designer, battle system main planner |
| Final Fantasy XII International Zodiac Job System Final Fantasy XII is a console role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 2. Released in 2006, it is the twelfth title in the Final Fantasy series and the last in the series to be released exclusively on the PlayStation platform... |
2007 | 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... |
Producer, director, game designer, battle system director |
| Final Fantasy IV DS Final Fantasy IV (Nintendo DS) is a role-playing video game for the Nintendo DS. It is an enhanced remake of the original Final Fantasy IV, which was released in 1991. It was released as part of the campaign for Final Fantasy series 20th anniversary on December 20, 2007 in Japan and in North America on July 22, 2008... |
2007 | Nintendo DS Nintendo DS The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP... |
Battle system supervisor |
| Dissidia 012: Final Fantasy | 2011 | PlayStation Portable PlayStation Portable The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004... |
Special thanks |
The following credits belong to a different Hiroyuki Ito who was a former employee of Jupiter Corporation
Jupiter (company)
Jupiter Corporation is a Japanese video game and hardware development studio that focuses on handheld consoles. It is based in Kyoto, though they have a secondary branch in Tokyo...
. He has now been working for Square Enix since September, 2008:
- Kingdom Hearts: Chain of MemoriesKingdom Hearts: Chain of Memoriesis an action role-playing game developed by Square Enix and Japanese studio Jupiter and published by Square Enix in 2004 for the Game Boy Advance. The game serves as an intermediary between the two larger-scale PlayStation 2 games in the Kingdom Hearts series. It was one of the first GBA games to...
(2004, for Game Boy AdvanceGame Boy AdvanceThe is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
) - Main programmer (Jupiter Corporation staff) - The World Ends with You (2007, for Nintendo DSNintendo DSThe is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
) - Planning director (Jupiter Corporation staff) - Kingdom Hearts 358/2 DaysKingdom Hearts 358/2 Daysis an action roleplaying game developed and published by Square Enix for the Nintendo DS with assistance from h.a.n.d. It is the fifth installment in the best-selling Kingdom Hearts series, and serves as an interquel beginning near the end of the first game, Kingdom Hearts, and covering the period...
(2009, for Nintendo DSNintendo DSThe is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
) - Lead planner: missions - Kingdom Hearts Re:coded (2010, for Nintendo DSNintendo DSThe is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
) - Co-director