In recent years,Segahas been putting out major releases of its many franchises. These include the ever-popularYakuzaseries, which have seen critical and commercial success. One other property that the company has, but still continues to use in a smaller capacity is the funkyJet Set Radio. This can be seen withBeat’s inclusion inSuper Monkey Ball: Banana Mania, another title developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and published by Sega. While theJet Set Radioseries has remained dormant and theYakuzafranchise is flourishing, a key figure who were a major part of these titles will be returning to Sega soon.
The former employee, Ryuta Ueda, was the director of both theoriginalYakuza 1and2on the PlayStation 2. His other notable credits for him were during the late 90s, doing designs for the monsters seen inPanzer Dragoon Sagafor the Sega Saturn, as well as the chief graphic designer forJet Set Radio. He left Sega in 2011 after the release ofRise of Nightmareson the Xbox Kinect, and went to work for Yahoo Japan in mobile game development. He announced that after nine years working at the company, he will be returning to Sega.
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This announcement was posted on his public Facebook page, where Ueda has resigned from his position at Yahoo Japan, and will be looking to develop some new video games at Sega. He thanked the people that he had met during his time at the company, looking to take the things he learned to his new job at Sega. “From now on, I will focus on making games again. Not only do I feel the excitement of making things, but I am also smiling a little at the thought of seeing old friends and meeting new people. I would like to fully demonstrate what I have cultivated through experience.” Ueda says in his announcement.
This news is a bit of a coincidence, as his return could possibly fall in line with the supposed departure of another key figure from Sega. The current director of the Yakuza series,Toshihiro Nagoshi, will be reportedly leaving Sega, and is in final negotiations to start working at Chinese tech company NetEase, ending his 32 year career at Sega.
Some fans speculated if Nagoshi does end up leaving Sega, Ueda could be the perfect person to fill his role as the director and continue theYakuzaseries, based on his past experience. Others hoped that with his return,Jet Set Radiocould get a revival, as the funky aesthetic and legacy can still be felt in games likeBomb Rush Cyberfunk. Regardless, many fans are very happy to see a key figure returning toSega.
