Hiromichi Tanaka
Japanese video game producer (born 1962)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hiromichi Tanaka (田中 弘道, Tanaka Hiromichi; born January 7, 1962) is a Japanese video game developer, game producer, game director and game designer. He was Senior Vice President of Software Development at Square Enix (formerly Square) and the head of the company's Product Development Division-3.[1]
- Square (1983–2003)
- Square Enix (2003–2012)
- GungHo Online Entertainment (2012–present)
Hiromichi Tanaka | |
|---|---|
Tanaka in London, England, January 2007 | |
| Born | January 7, 1962 Ichikawa, Chiba, Japan |
| Occupations | Video game producer and director |
| Years active | 1983–present |
| Employers |
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| Known for |
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Biography
In 1983, Tanaka dropped out of Yokohama National University along with Hironobu Sakaguchi to join Square, a newly formed software branch of the Denyuusha Electric Company. Along with Sakaguchi and Kazuhiko Aoki, Tanaka was part of Square's original Planning and Development department.
He is best known as the former lead developer of Final Fantasy XI, Square's first massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG). He oversaw development of Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XIV until late 2010. He also worked in a prominent role for earlier single-player games including Secret of Mana, Trials of Mana, Xenogears, Threads of Fate, Chrono Cross, and the Nintendo DS version of Final Fantasy III. Tanaka also worked on the original Famicom version of Final Fantasy III in 1990.
Final Fantasy XIV received negative reception from critics and players, and was considered a financial loss for Square Enix. Three months after its release in 2010, Tanaka was removed from the Final Fantasy XIV team and replaced by Naoki Yoshida.[2] At the Vana'diel Fan Festival 2012, an event celebrating Final Fantasy XI's 10th anniversary, Tanaka announced his departure from Square Enix for health reasons.[3] In 2012, Tanaka joined GungHo Online Entertainment as a freelance advisor to the company.[4]
Works
| Year | Title | Credit(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | The Death Trap | Game design | [5] |
| 1985 | Genesis | Director, game design, scenario | [6] |
| 1986 | Alpha | Game design, scenario | |
| Suishō no Dragon | Game design | ||
| 1987 | Aliens: Alien 2 | Director, game design | [7] |
| Cleopatra no Mahō | |||
| Nakayama Miho no Tokimeki High School | Staff | ||
| Final Fantasy | Game design | [8] | |
| 1988 | Final Fantasy II | [8] | |
| 1989 | Square's Tom Sawyer | Cooperation | [6] |
| 1990 | Final Fantasy III | Game design | [8] |
| Final Fantasy Legend II | Main data | [8] | |
| 1993 | Secret of Mana | Producer, system design, scenario message data | [8] |
| 1995 | Trials of Mana | Director | [8] |
| 1998 | Xenogears | Producer, battle planner | [5] |
| 1999 | Threads of Fate | Producer | [9] |
| Chrono Cross | Producer, battle system design | [5] | |
| 2002 | Final Fantasy XI | Producer (until 2012) | [10] |
| 2003 | Final Fantasy XI: Rise of the Zilart | Producer | [9] |
| Sword of Mana | Executive producer | ||
| 2004 | Final Fantasy XI: Chains of Promathia | Producer | |
| 2006 | Final Fantasy III (Nintendo DS) | Director, executive producer | [11] |
| Final Fantasy XI: Treasures of Aht Urhgan | Producer | ||
| 2007 | Final Fantasy XI: Wings of the Goddess | ||
| 2009 | SaGa 2: Goddess of Destiny | Co-executive producer | |
| 2010 | Final Fantasy XIV | Producer (until December 2010) | [2] |
| 2011 | Final Fantasy III | Supervisor | |
| 2015 | MOJI-POP'N | Producer | |
| 2016 | Seventh Rebirth | [12] | |
| 2023 | JET DRAGON | Special Thanks |
