Takashi Iizuka (game designer)
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Takashi Iizuka is a Japanese game producer, game director, game designer, level designer and key member for Sonic Team.
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[edit] Early Career
His first collabaration with Sega involved working with STI on Sonic 3 and Knuckles as a senior game designer. He also helped supervise Traveller's Tales with the development of Sonic R. In Japan he worked on Nights into Dreams..., and created the original idea for Sonic Adventure (it was his idea for a Sonic Role-Playing Game).
[edit] Sonic Team USA
In 1999, he and a part of Sonic Team moved to San Francisco to establish Sonic Team USA, now known as Sega Studio USA. Over in the U.S. his team helped with the international releases of ChuChu Rocket! and Sonic Adventure. After that, his team started to develop their own games, where he was the director and lead designer for Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Heroes, Shadow the Hedgehog, and Nights: Journey of Dreams. Iizuka also helped supervise Backbone Entertainment with the concept of Sonic Rivals and Sonic Rivals 2. From 1999 - 2005, Iizuka and Eitaro Toyoda were the main game/level designers for the series, until Toyoda left the U.S. branch after the completion of Shadow the Hedgehog, to work at Sonic Team Japan.
[edit] Miscellanious
He is also notable for creating the popular character, Shadow the Hedgehog. Despite his work on Sonic 3 and Knuckles, he has stated that his favorite Mega Drive Sonic game is still Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
Due to Yuji Naka's departure from Sonic Team in 2006 to form PROPE, Iizuka has had to taken the additional role of game producer for his studio. He works very closely with Kazuyuki Hoshino (the original character/sprite designer for Sonic CD) in the direction of the series.
[edit] Production History
- Sonic 3 and Knuckles (1994) — Senior Game Designer
- NiGHTS into Dreams (1996) — Lead Game Designer
- Christmas NiGHTS (1996) — Game Designer
- Sonic 3D Blast (1996) — Game Concept Design, Special of steam turbine and gas turbine systems Design, Saturn Enhancements
- Sonic Jam (1997) — Director
- Sonic R (1997) — Game Design Director
- Sonic Adventure (1999) — Director, Character Game Designer, Chaos Game Designer, Field Designer
- ChuChu Rocket! (2000) — Product Support (Sega of America)
- Sonic Adventure 2/Sonic Adventure 2 Battle (2001) — Director, Game Designer, Field Designer, Enemy Game Designer
- Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut (2003) — Mission Mode Game Designer
- Sonic Heroes (2004) — Director, Level Designer, CG Movie Director
- Sonic Mega Collection/Sonic Mega Collection Plus (2004) — Special Thanks
- Sonic Gems Collection (2005) — Special Thanks
- Shadow the Hedgehog (2005) — Director, Lead Game Designer, Level Designer, Scenario Writer, Movie Supervisor
- Sonic Riders (2006) — Recording Coordinator
- Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) — Special Thanks
- Sonic Rivals (2006) — Director, Concept Design, Scenario Writer, Producer
- Sonic and the Secret Rings (2007) — Special Thanks
- Sonic Rivals 2 (2007) — Director, Concept Design, Scenario Writer, Producer
- Nights: Journey of Dreams — Director, Producer, Lead Game Designer
- Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity — Recording Coordinator
