Back هيرونوبو ساكاغوتشي Arabic هيرونوبو ساكاجوتشى ARZ Hironobu Sakaguchi Catalan Hironobu Sakaguchi German Χιρονόμπου Σακαγκούτσι Greek Hironobu Sakaguchi Spanish هیرونوبو ساکاگوچی Persian Hironobu Sakaguchi Finnish Hironobu Sakaguchi French Հիրոնոբու Սակագուտի Armenian
Hironobu Sakaguchi | |
|---|---|
坂口 博信 | |
_(cropped).jpg) Sakaguchi at the 2015 Game Developers Choice Awards | |
| Born | November 25, 1962 Hitachinaka, Ibaraki, Japan |
| Occupation(s) | CEO of Mistwalker, game designer |
| Employer(s) | Square (1983–2003) Mistwalker (2004–present) |
| Known for | Role-playing video games |
| Notable work | Final Fantasy Rad Racer Blue Dragon Terra Battle |
Hironobu Sakaguchi (坂口 博信, Sakaguchi Hironobu, born November 25, 1962) is a Japanese game designer, director, producer, and writer. Originally working for Square (later Square Enix) from 1983 to 2003, he departed the company and founded independent studio Mistwalker in 2004. He is known as the creator of the Final Fantasy franchise, in addition to other titles during his time at Square. At Mistwalker, he is known for creating the Blue Dragon and Terra Battle series among several standalone titles, moving away from home consoles and creating titles for mobile platforms.
Originally intending to become a musician, he briefly studied electronics and programming, joining Square as a part-time employee, then later a full-time employee when Square became an independent company in 1986. He led the development of several titles before helping to create the original Final Fantasy, which proved highly successful and cemented his status within the company. Following the financial failure of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, his debut as a film director, Sakaguchi withdrew from Square's management and eventually resigned in 2003. He continued his game career through Mistwalker, first co-developing projects through external partners and then smaller in-studio mobile projects.
Born in Hitachi, Ibaraki Prefecture, Sakaguchi now lives in Hawaii where one of Mistwalker's offices is based. He has also influenced the creation of several other Square Enix projects, such as Kingdom Hearts. Sakaguchi has received several industry awards.