After more than 20 years at Square Enix contributing to the Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts franchises, Shinji Hashimoto is retiring. From now on, he will enjoy the publisher’s games “like a fan”.
Shinji Hashimoto, one of the historical figures of Square Enix, announced that it was time for him to move on. This May 31, 2022 was his last day with the company.
Square Enix loses an iconic member
Through his Twitter account, Shinji Hashimoto informs us that he is definitely leaving the company after 28 years of service.
Thank you all for your hard work. Today, May 31, 2022, I retired. Thank you to all the people who have helped me in different areas throughout my career. From now on, I want to support Square Enix as its biggest fan.. Thanks a lot.
At Square Enix, Hashimoto-san started as co-producer of Front Mission on SNES. But the man is especially famous for having been a producer on several Final Fantasy games and brand manager of the license. Last year, in May, he had also withdrawn in favor of Yoshinori Kitase, the new manager of the FF saga.
Please be excited
Hashimoto-san, “please be excited” gentleman, made an impression at PlayStation Experience 2014. At that time, everyone wanted to see FF7 Remake. And the evening turned tragic for the fans when he went on stage to announce FF7… PS1 on PS4.
Touch of everything, he also put on the NieR license or even Kingdom Hearts. It was he who convinced, in an elevator, Disney to make a crossover game. A partnership that still continues for Kingdom Hearts 4. Unfortunately, Shinji Hashimoto will not be able to leave his mark when the game launches, nor when FF16 launches. It will no doubt be in the thank you credits. And now, he will observe Square Enix productions with his fan’s eye. It’s not bad either!
