Shinji Hashmoto announced today in a tweet that after 28 amazing years with Square Enix, he will be retiring from the company: “Thank you everyone. I will retire May 31st (Tuesday) today. During my tenure, I am very greatful to all of you in various fields. From now on, I would like to support you as a Square Enix fan. I’m really thankful to you.”
In his early years, Shinji Hashimoto (橋本 真司, Hashimoto Shinji, born May 24, 1958) worked for the popular toy company Bandai. He would go on to join Squaresoft (later known as Square Enix) in 1995. He was the promotions producer of Final Fantasy VII, and for over a decade, served as the Final Fantasy series Brand Manager. He was an Executive Officer on Square Enix’s board of directors, served as corporate executive of the company’s 1st Production Department during its entire existence, was the Head of Square Enix’s Business Division 3 for six years, and was the co-creator of the Kingdom Hearts series.
Here is a farewell message from Mr. Hashmoto on his retirement.
Those of us at NintendoFuse want to Thank Mr. Shinji Hashmoto for all his years at Square Enix and his dedication, love and passion to gaming. He’s brought countless smiles and joy to so many people all around the world.
Check out this beautiful illustration by Square Enix character designer Toshiyuki Itahana celebrating Hashimoto’s time at the company:
Phillip has been a passionate gamer from the time he could hold a NES controller. He’s firm believer in game preservation and a supporter of indie developers. He loves being apart of the gaming community and making friendships wherever he goes.