Difference between revisions of "Yu Suzuki"

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[[Image:Yu Suzuki.jpg|frameless|right]]
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{{PersonBob
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'''Yu Suzuki''', [[AM2]]'s star developer, is one of the most highly-regarded visionaries in the industry. He joined [[Sega]] in 1983 as a programmer and producer, and two years later he created ''[[Hang-On]]'', the first simulation arcade game. ''Hang-On'' was also the first arcade racing game to feature a fully interactive cabinet, with the player sitting on and controlling a replica motorcycle.  
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| image=YuSuzuki 2.png
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| birthplace=Kamaishi, Iwate, Japan
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| dob=1958-06-10{{magref|edge|9|49}}{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20040416181636/http://sega.jp/studio/dr.html}}
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| dod=
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| employment=
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{{Employment
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| company=[[Sega Enterprises, Ltd.|Sega Enterprises]]
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| start=1983-04{{magref|edge|9|49}}
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| divisions=[[Studio 128]], [[Sega R&D 2]], [[Sega R&D 8]], [[Sega AM2]]{{magref|segamagjp|4|16}}, [[Sega Software R&D Dept. 2]],[[AM2 of CRI]]
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}}
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{{Employment
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| company=[[Sega-AM2 (company)|Sega-AM2]]
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}}
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{{Employment
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| company=[[DigitalRex]]
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| start=2003
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| end=2004
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}}
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{{Employment
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| company=[[Sega Corporation (2000-2015)|Sega]]
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| start=2004
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| end=2009-04{{fileref|IR EN 2009-03-31.pdf|page=2}}
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| divisions=[[AM Plus]]
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}}
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{{Employment
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| company=[[Ys Net]]
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| start=2008-11-11
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| notsega=yes
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}}
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| role=Programmer, Producer, Director, Executive
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| education=
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}}
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'''{{PAGENAME}}''' (鈴木 裕), is a former programmer and producer at [[Sega]]. Notable for his works while at [[Sega AM2]], he is widely considered to be a visionary in the video game industry, creating many of Sega's biggest hits throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
  
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Suzuki has always tried to push the limits of arcade hardware and was the first to develop a title using the cutting-edge [[Sega Model 1]] arcade board. With the Model 1, Suzuki began his first foray into the world of polygons, and the result was ''[[Virtua Racing]]''. This F1 racing simulator was completely rendered in 3D, and allowed players to experience the action from four different camera angles.  
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==Career==
 +
Yu Suzuki joined Sega in April 1983{{magref|edge|9|49}} as a programmer, and was set to work designing and programming the [[SG-1000]] game, ''[[Champion Boxing]]''. Released for the console and later in arcade form, the game performed better than expected, and Suzuki was promoted to team leader, achieving something that usually took around seven years at Sega, in just one.
  
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In 1993, Suzuki's next Model 1 masterpiece was the acclaimed ''[[Virtua Fighter]]''. It was the very first 3D fighting game, and featured what is considered to be one of the deepest fighting engines ever. ''Virtua Fighter''’s impact was such that it is housed in the Smithsonian Institution's Permanent Research Collection on Information Technology Innovation.  
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Under the management of [[Hisashi Suzuki]], Yu Suzuki would work alongside a small team of developers in what would become a key innovator for Sega, [[Studio 128]]. It is here where Suzuki programmed ''[[Hang-On]]'', the Sega's first "[[taikan game]]". The game's enormous success both in Japan and overseas led to a string of equally important milestones; ''[[OutRun]]'' (1986), ''[[After Burner]]'' (1987), ''[[Power Drift]]'' (1988) and ''[[G-LOC: Air Battle]]'' (1990).
  
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In 1999, Yu Suzuki released ''[[Shenmue]]'', his first title for a home console. Five years in the making, ''Shenmue'' features a sweeping story, multiple gameplay elements, and an unprecedented level of detail. ''Shenmue'' also marks the start of a new genre, dubbed by Suzuki as FREE, or Full Reactive Eyes Entertainment. The story, graphics, and the innovative system exceeded those of many previous games.  
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In the early 1990s, now a producer at the newly formed [[Sega AM2]], Suzuki and his team would go one better by creating ''[[Virtua Racing]]'', Sega's first "3D CG" game in 1992. He would then act primarily as a producer and the public face of AM2 for the following decade, helping to create ''[[Virtua Fighter]]'' (1993), ''[[Daytona USA]]'' (1994), ''[[Virtua Cop]]'' (1994) and ''[[Fighting Vipers]]'' (1995). Suzuki has also been instrumental in designing several of Sega's arcade boards; the [[Model 1]], [[Model 2]] and [[Model 3]], as well as the [[NAOMI 2]]{{magref|nextgeneration|77|61}}.
  
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''[[Shenmue]]'' is currently the second most expensive game to be developed (being recently surpassed by ''Grand Theft Auto IV'', which cost roughly 100 Million USD.) with the whole project costing 70 million USD.
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After work wrapped up on ''[[Virtua Fighter 3]]'' in 1996, Suzuki's attention was taken up by a pootentially ground-breaking concept for Sega's home video game consoles - what would emerge as the [[Sega Dreamcast]] game ''[[Shenmue]]'' in 1999. The most expensive video game produced up until that point, ''Shenmue'' was a hit with critics but not with consumers, and while follow-up ''[[Shenmue II]]'' launched in 2001, the multiple-part epic was put on hold as Sega went through a period of financial turbulence.
  
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In 2003, Suzuki became the sixth person to be inducted into the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences' Hall of Fame. On April 1, 2009, Suzuki [http://www.segasammy.co.jp/english/pdf/release/20090331_e_.pdf retired] from Sega.
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Following the release of ''[[Virtua Fighter 4]]'' in 2002, Suzuki left AM2 to form a new Sega division, [[DigitalRex]] in 2003. However, DigitalRex and its successor, [[AM Plus]] struggled to get products out of the door, and Suzuki fell back to a more advisory role in the company, retiring from Sega in April 2009{{fileref|IR EN 2009-03-31.pdf|page=2}} though maintaining good relations with his former employers.
  
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==Production History==
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Suzuki formed his own development company, [[Ys Net]] in 2008, but aside from the occasional interview, was relatively silent over the coming decade. He returned to the limelight again at [[Sony]]'s [[E3 2015]] press conference, announcing ''[[Shenmue III]]'', which would be carried through from Kickstarter to release in 2019.
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* ''[[Space Harrier]]'' (1985) — Producer, Director
 
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* ''[[Hang-On]]'' (1985) — Producer, Director
 
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* ''[[OutRun]]'' (1986) — Producer, Director
 
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* ''[[Super Hang-On]]'' (1986) — Producer
 
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* ''[[After Burner II]]'' (1986) — Producer, Director
 
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* ''[[Power Drift]]'' (1988) — Producer, Director
 
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* ''[[Turbo Outrun]]'' (1989) — Producer, Director
 
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* ''[[Virtua Racing]]'' (1992) — Producer, Director
 
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* ''[[Virtua Fighter]]'' (Arcade Version) (1993) — Producer & Director
 
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* ''[[Virtua Fighter]]'' (Saturn Version) (1994) — Producer
 
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* ''[[Virtua Cop]]'' (1994) — Supervisor
 
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* ''[[Virtua Cop]]'' (Saturn Version) (1994) — Supervisor
 
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* ''[[Virtua Fighter]]'' (32X Version) (1995) — Special Thanks
 
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* ''[[Virtua Fighter 2]]'' (1995) — Producer, Director
 
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* ''[[Virtua Fighter 2]]'' (Saturn Version) (1995) — Producer
 
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* ''[[Virtua Fighter 2]]'' (PC Version) (1995) — Supervisor
 
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* ''[[Fighting Vipers]]'' (Saturn Version) (1995) — Producer
 
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* ''[[Virtua Cop 2]]'' (1995) — Producer
 
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* ''[[Virtua Cop 2]]'' (Saturn Version) (1996) — Producer
 
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* ''[[Sonic the Fighters]]'' (1996) — Producer
 
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* ''[[Virtua Fighter 3]]'' (1996) — Producer
 
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* ''[[Fighters Megamix]]'' (1996) — Producer
 
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* ''[[Virtua Cop]]'' (PC Version) (1997) — Supervisor
 
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* ''[[Virtua Cop 2]]'' (PC Version) (1997) — Supervisor
 
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* ''[[Virtua Fighter 3: Team Battle]]'' (1998) — Producer
 
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* ''[[Ferrari F355 Challenge]]'' (1999) — Producer, Director
 
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* ''[[Shenmue]]'' (1999) — Producer, Director, Game Story
 
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* ''[[Shenmue II]]'' (2001) — Producer, Director, Game Story
 
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* ''[[Propeller Arena]]'' (2001) — Producer
 
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* ''[[Virtua Fighter 4]]'' (2001) — Producer
 
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* ''[[Shenmue II]]'' (Xbox Version) (2002) — Producer, Director
 
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* ''[[Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution]]'' (2002) — Producer
 
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* ''[[Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution]]'' (PS2 Version) (2003) — Executive Director
 
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* ''[[Virtua Fighter 4: Final Tuned]]'' (2003) — Producer
 
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* ''[[OutRun 2]]'' (2003) — Producer
 
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* ''[[Sega RaceTV]]'' (2008) — Director
 
  
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Suzuki, Yu}}
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==Interests==
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[[Category:Sega AM2 Developers]]
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Yu Suzuki enjoys fast cars and motorcycles, of which many, particularly Ferraris (see; ''OutRun'' and ''[[F355 Challenge]]''), appear in his works. He is a believer of experiencing the world to better understand how to produce video games. Development of ''OutRun'' saw Suzuki lead his team across Europe for inspiration, while employees working on the likes of ''Virtua Racing'', ''Daytona USA'' and ''[[Scud Race]]'' have been advised by Suzuki to go out and drive real vehicles in order to appreciate how they feel. Meanwhile the likes of ''Virtua Fighter'' and ''Shenmue'' were inspired by real fighting styles and trips across Asia.
 +
 
 +
He prefers to work with different genres and concepts for every project, rather than be stuck refining the same ideas{{ref|http://www.computerandvideogames.com/279529/yu-suzuki-the-difference-between-miyamoto-and-i-is/}}. He also does not believe in extensive planning during video game production, allowing them to evolve naturally to suit the skills of his staff. ''Space Harrier'' is an example of this, evolving from real jets (Harriers) to a fantasy setting, as his artists were more suited to fantasy themes.
 +
 
 +
Suzuki famously does not play many video games, often leading to unique style of game that is rarely influenced by competitors. While he enjoys programming video games, he has claimed that he loses interest after the project is done{{magref|nextgeneration|11|10}}, and prefers movies{{magref|nextgeneration|11|10}}, theme parks{{magref|nextgeneration|11|10}} and French food{{magref|edge|9|50}}.
 +
 
 +
==Production history==
 +
{{ProductionHistory|Yu Suzuki|Yu|鈴木 裕|Yu.}}
 +
 
 +
[[Category:Uncredited role]]
 +
[[Category:Use ProductionHistory template]]
 +
{{multicol|
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* ''[[Champion Pro Wrestling]]'' (1985) — Director, Producer
 +
* ''[[Hang-On]]'' ([[Sega Master System|Master System]] Version) (1985) — Special Thanks
 +
* ''[[Super Hang-On]]'' (Arcade Version) (1986) — Producer
 +
* ''[[GP Rider]]'' (Arcade Version) (1990) — Producer
 +
* ''[[Strike Fighter]]'' (''[[After Burner III]]'') (Arcade Version) (1991) — Designer, Producer
 +
* ''[[F1 Exhaust Note]]'' (1991) — Producer
 +
* ''[[Soreike Kokology]]'' (1991) — Producer
 +
* ''[[Virtua Formula]]'' (1993) — Producer
 +
* ''[[Soreike Kokology 2]]'' (1993) — Producer
 +
* ''[[Virtua Cop 1-2 Pack]]'' (1998) — Supervisor
 +
* ''[[What's Shenmue]]'' (1999) — Director
 +
* ''[[Yu Suzuki Game Works Vol. 1]]'' (2001) — Special Thanks
 +
* ''[[Pure Breed]]'' (cancelled) — Concept
 +
* ''[[Psy-Phi]]'' (2005) — Director
 +
* ''[[Shenmue Online]]'' (2007) — Director
 +
* ''[[Shenmue City]]'' (2010) — Director
 +
* ''[[Virtua Fighter Cool Champ]]'' (2011) — Director
 +
* ''[[Shooting Wars]]'' (2012) — Director
 +
* ''[[Bullet Pirates]]'' (iPhone & [[wikipedia:Android (operating system)|Android]] Versions) (2013) — Director
 +
* ''[[Virtua Fighter Fever Combo]]'' (iPhone & Android Versions) (2014) — Director
 +
* ''[[Shenmue III]]'' ([[PlayStation 4]] & PC Versions) (2017) — Director & Producer
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
==Song credits==
 +
{{mainArticle|{{PAGENAME}}/Song credits}}
 +
 
 +
==Gallery==
 +
<gallery>
 +
YuSuzuki signature.svg|Signature
 +
</gallery>
 +
 
 +
==Magazine articles==
 +
{{mainArticle|{{PAGENAME}}/Magazine articles}}
 +
 
 +
==Interviews==
 +
{{InterviewList|Yu Suzuki}}
 +
 
 +
==Photographs==
 +
:''Main article: [[:Category:Photos of {{PAGENAME}}|Photos of {{PAGENAME}}]]
 +
 
 +
==External links==
 +
*''[https://www.sega-16.com/2005/03/sega-stars-yu-suzuki/ Sega Stars: {{PAGENAME}}]'' article by Ken Horowitz at ''[https://www.sega-16.com Sega-16]''
 +
*''[https://medium.com/@MoosaviAmir/a-weekend-with-yu-suzuki-6ff4d9d9edb6 A Weekend with Yu Suzuki]'' article by Amir Moosavi at ''[https://medium.com Medium]''
 +
*''[https://www.polygon.com/a/life-in-japan/Yu-Suzuki-kitchen Two hours in Yu Suzuki's kitchen]'' article by Matt Leone at ''[https://www.polygon.com Polygon]''
 +
 
 +
==References==
 +
<references/>
 +
 
 +
[[Category:Lead Programmers]]

Latest revision as of 16:29, 17 December 2023

YuSuzuki 2.png
Yu Suzuki
Place of birth: Kamaishi, Iwate, Japan
Date of birth: 1958-06-10[1][2] (age 65)
Employment history:
Sega Enterprises (1983-04[1] – )
Divisions:
DigitalRex (2003 – 2004)
Sega (2004 – 2009-04[4])
Divisions:
Ys Net (2008-11-11 – )
Role(s): Programmer, Producer, Director, Executive

Yu Suzuki (鈴木 裕), is a former programmer and producer at Sega. Notable for his works while at Sega AM2, he is widely considered to be a visionary in the video game industry, creating many of Sega's biggest hits throughout the 1980s and 1990s.

Career

Yu Suzuki joined Sega in April 1983[1] as a programmer, and was set to work designing and programming the SG-1000 game, Champion Boxing. Released for the console and later in arcade form, the game performed better than expected, and Suzuki was promoted to team leader, achieving something that usually took around seven years at Sega, in just one.

Under the management of Hisashi Suzuki, Yu Suzuki would work alongside a small team of developers in what would become a key innovator for Sega, Studio 128. It is here where Suzuki programmed Hang-On, the Sega's first "taikan game". The game's enormous success both in Japan and overseas led to a string of equally important milestones; OutRun (1986), After Burner (1987), Power Drift (1988) and G-LOC: Air Battle (1990).

In the early 1990s, now a producer at the newly formed Sega AM2, Suzuki and his team would go one better by creating Virtua Racing, Sega's first "3D CG" game in 1992. He would then act primarily as a producer and the public face of AM2 for the following decade, helping to create Virtua Fighter (1993), Daytona USA (1994), Virtua Cop (1994) and Fighting Vipers (1995). Suzuki has also been instrumental in designing several of Sega's arcade boards; the Model 1, Model 2 and Model 3, as well as the NAOMI 2[5].

After work wrapped up on Virtua Fighter 3 in 1996, Suzuki's attention was taken up by a pootentially ground-breaking concept for Sega's home video game consoles - what would emerge as the Sega Dreamcast game Shenmue in 1999. The most expensive video game produced up until that point, Shenmue was a hit with critics but not with consumers, and while follow-up Shenmue II launched in 2001, the multiple-part epic was put on hold as Sega went through a period of financial turbulence.

Following the release of Virtua Fighter 4 in 2002, Suzuki left AM2 to form a new Sega division, DigitalRex in 2003. However, DigitalRex and its successor, AM Plus struggled to get products out of the door, and Suzuki fell back to a more advisory role in the company, retiring from Sega in April 2009[4] though maintaining good relations with his former employers.

Suzuki formed his own development company, Ys Net in 2008, but aside from the occasional interview, was relatively silent over the coming decade. He returned to the limelight again at Sony's E3 2015 press conference, announcing Shenmue III, which would be carried through from Kickstarter to release in 2019.

Interests

Yu Suzuki enjoys fast cars and motorcycles, of which many, particularly Ferraris (see; OutRun and F355 Challenge), appear in his works. He is a believer of experiencing the world to better understand how to produce video games. Development of OutRun saw Suzuki lead his team across Europe for inspiration, while employees working on the likes of Virtua Racing, Daytona USA and Scud Race have been advised by Suzuki to go out and drive real vehicles in order to appreciate how they feel. Meanwhile the likes of Virtua Fighter and Shenmue were inspired by real fighting styles and trips across Asia.

He prefers to work with different genres and concepts for every project, rather than be stuck refining the same ideas[6]. He also does not believe in extensive planning during video game production, allowing them to evolve naturally to suit the skills of his staff. Space Harrier is an example of this, evolving from real jets (Harriers) to a fantasy setting, as his artists were more suited to fantasy themes.

Suzuki famously does not play many video games, often leading to unique style of game that is rarely influenced by competitors. While he enjoys programming video games, he has claimed that he loses interest after the project is done[7], and prefers movies[7], theme parks[7] and French food[8].

Production history

Games

Videos

Music

Song credits

Main article: Yu Suzuki/Song credits.

Gallery

  • Signature

Magazine articles

Main article: Yu Suzuki/Magazine articles.

Interviews

Photographs

Main article: Photos of Yu Suzuki

External links

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Edge, "June 1994" (UK; 1994-04-28), page 49
  2. ↑ http://sega.jp/studio/dr.html (Wayback Machine: 2004-04-16 18:16)
  3. ↑ Sega Magazine, "1997-02 (1997-02)" (JP; 1997-01-13), page 16
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 File:IR EN 2009-03-31.pdf, page 2
  5. ↑ Next Generation, "May 2001" (US; 2001-04-17), page 61
  6. ↑ http://www.computerandvideogames.com/279529/yu-suzuki-the-difference-between-miyamoto-and-i-is/
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Next Generation, "November 1995" (US; 1995-10-24), page 10
  8. ↑ Edge, "June 1994" (UK; 1994-04-28), page 50
  9. ↑ File:Rent A Hero MD credits.pdf
  10. ↑ File:VirtuaF1 Saturn JP SSOpening.pdf
  11. ↑ File:Daytonausa sat us manual.pdf, page 18
  12. ↑ File:VirtuaFR Saturn JP SSEnding.pdf
  13. ↑ File:Vfremix sat us manual.pdf, page 26
  14. ↑ File:Virtua Fighter 32X credits.pdf
  15. ↑ File:VirtuaC1 Saturn JP SSEnding.pdf
  16. ↑ File:VirtuaF2 Saturn JP SSEnding.pdf
  17. ↑ File:VFCGP05_Saturn_JP_SSEnding.pdf
  18. ↑ File:VFCGP06_Saturn_JP_SSEnding.pdf
  19. ↑ File:VFCGP07_Saturn_JP_SSEnding.pdf
  20. ↑ File:VFCGP08_Saturn_JP_SSEnding.pdf
  21. ↑ File:VFCGP09_Saturn_JP_SSEnding.pdf
  22. ↑ File:VFCGP10_Saturn_JP_SSEnding.pdf
  23. ↑ File:VirtuaFK_Saturn_JP_SSEnding.pdf
  24. ↑ File:FightingV Saturn JP SSEnding.pdf
  25. ↑ File:VirtuaC2 Saturn JP SSOpening.pdf
  26. ↑ File:FightersM Saturn JP SSEnding.pdf
  27. ↑ File:VirtuaFighter4_PS2_JP_SSCredits.pdf
  28. ↑ File:F355Challenge_PS2_JP_SSCredits.pdf
  29. ↑ File:VirtuaFighter4Evolution_PS2_JP_SSCredits.pdf
  30. ↑ File:VF2DancingShadows CD JP Booklet.pdf, page 15
  31. ↑ File:ShenmueOrchestraVersion CD JP Booklet.pdf, page 7
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 File:ShenmueOST CD JP Booklet.pdf, page 15
  33. ↑ File:SpaceHarrier VinylUK le back.jpg
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