Co-creator and producer of the Kingdom Hearts series, but also historic producer of Final Fantasy, Shinji Hashimoto is leaving Square Enix for a well-deserved retirement.
After 30 years of collaboration with Square Enix on the Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts franchises, Japanese producer Shinji Hashimoto has just announced his retirement. Hashimoto had started at Square Soft in 1995 as an executive producer, notably on the studio’s two major IPs. Ancient producer of Famicom games including several from the Dragon Ball Z serieshis first production within Square was Front Mission.
He then slowly drifted into Final Fantasy, taking care of Chocobo’s Dungeon in 1997 then the illustrious Final Fantasy 8 in 1999. From 2002, he was also in charge of Kingdom Hearts. His last assignment as producer dates back to 2021 with Neo: The World Ends With You after overseeing the remake of Final Fantasy VII.
At 64, the co-creator of KH announces that he will continue “to support Square Enix as a fan. I am very grateful for that.” In a video message, Hashimoto-san announces that he will now take the time to travel the world and participate in all major video game meetings.
Now I leave the company in a good mood. But I will continue to be present and involved in the entertainment, so rest assured. To everyone around the world, I hope you continue to support Square Enix titles.
Thanks for everything, Shinji Hashimoto!
