Difference between revisions of "Hirokazu Yasuhara"

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Revision as of 14:14, 27 March 2011

Hirokazu Yasuhara's corporate photo from Naughty Dog.

Another pivotal name in the early years of Sonic, Hirokazu Yasuhara was the original game and level designer. He was probably the most actively involved in the early development of the series, and remained one of the chief map designers all the way through Sonic R in 1997. He even had a hand in the design of the shelved Sonic X-treme. In 2002, Yasuhara left Sega and joined fellow former members of the Sega Technical Institute at Naughty Dog, where he worked on the Jak & Daxter series as well as the first installment of Uncharted.

In 2008, Yasuhara departed Naughty Dog to take up a job at Namco-Bandai America, where he's said to be working with some past colleagues. According to a Gamasutra report, he is currently at work on an upcoming Pac-Man title, targeted for a 2010 release (the character's 30th anniversary).

Quotes

"I was opposed to [Sega's] decision to create games that use 'Sonic-something' so that they can sell it easily. I wanted to make good games, not any games that used the Sonic character in a haphazard way."
- Yasuhara on his work on the Traveller's Tales-developed Sonic titles

Production History

  • Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) — Director, Game Planner, Project
  • Fatal Labyrinth (1991) — Director, Game Planner
  • Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992) — Director, Game Planner, Project, Object Placement
  • Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994) — Director, Lead Game designer
  • Sonic & Knuckles (1994) — Director, Lead Game designer
  • Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles (1994) — Director, Lead Game designer
  • Sonic 3D Blast (1995) — Playfield Design, Saturn Enhancements
  • Sonic Xtreme (1996) — Head Designer
  • Sonic R (1997) — Map Design Director
  • Sega Smash Pack 2 (2000) — Special Thanks
  • Floigan Brothers: Episode 1 (2001) — Game Designer
  • Jak 2 (2003) — Game Designer
  • Jak 3 (2004) — Game Designer
  • Jak X: Combat Racing (2005) — Game Designer
  • Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (2007) — Game Designer
  • Afro Samurai (2009) — Special Thanks

Interview