After having worked 18 years with Square Enix, Akihiko Yoshida, known for his character design on titles such as Final Fantasy Tactics and Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, recently left the company. During an interview with Famitsu magazine, the artist explained his reason for resigning.
“Around the end of September, I had resigned from Square Enix, but for Bravely Second, I am working on it as a freelancer,” shares Yoshida, who is the character designer for both Bravely Default and its recently announced sequel.
“As for the reason I resigned—I had always wanted a job where I could do both, develop games and draw. However, in recent years, those responsible for making games have more duties that require much more time, and after thinking about my desire to be in an environment that allows me to challenge more subjects, it resulted in my decision to resign, so I would no longer be bound by a company.”
Yoshida reveals, “As for Bravely Second, [producer] Asano had spoken to me prior to my resignation, and it’s a title that I personally have been wanting to do, so I went ahead and agreed to work on it.”
He adds, “While I don’t feel like I’ve accomplished too much thus far, after Final Fantasy III’s remake and Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light, this series [Bravely Default] gives me a great sense of fulfilment.”
Bravely Second is in development for Nintendo 3DS, and it is currently 30% complete.
Published: Dec 11, 2013 05:30 pm