Akinori Nishiyama

Akinori Nishiyama
Company(ies): Sega of Japan
Role(s): Tester, Designer, Director, Producer

Akinori Nishiyama (西山 彰則) is a Sega employee that has been involved with the company since the Master System era and has undertaken a varitety of roles.

Nishiyama was originally a test player (usually credited by his alias, Works Nishi) whose first title was the original Phantasy Star. For its sequel, however, he acted as Writer & Director (under another alias, Chiemushi) and would become a major contributor to the series' fourth installment. He may also have been known variably as Locky P.

Nishiyama retained his position as a scenario writer through the Saturn era with Magic Knight Rayearth. He then served once more as scenario writer for Sonic Adventure and reacquainted himself with the Phantasy Star series with Phantasy Star Online.

He then served as Director for the majority of the Sonic the Hedgehog series titles released for Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS and Producer for the Puyo Puyo series.

He served as the head for Sonic Team between Yuji Nakas resignation in 2006 and then Takashi Iizuka appointance in 2010. Afterwards he had general manager roles for titles from Sega. With Takashi Iizuka becoming the head of Sonic Team, Nishiyama would go to Sega's CS3 division and take the Phantasy Star Online franchise with him to over there as a Senior Producer, leaving Sonic Team to be able to completely focus on Sonic & Puyo.

His current role is "Director of Online Administration Department" at Sega Games.

Production history

• Phantasy Star (Master System;
  1987) — Soft Check (as Works Nishi)
• Space Harrier 3D (Master System;
  1988) — Program Check (as Works Nishi)
• Hoshi wo Sagashite... (Master System;
  1988) — テストプレイ (as わあくす にし)
• Ys: Ancient Ys Vanished Omen (Master System;
  1988) — Check (as Works Nishi)
• Space Harrier II (Mega Drive;
  1988) — Test Player (as Works Nishi)
• Phantasy Star II (Mega Drive;
  1989) — Written and Directed by (as Chiemshi)
• Super League (Mega Drive) (Mega Drive;
  1989) — Special Thanks (as Works Nishi)
• Forgotten Worlds (Mega Drive;
  1989) — Game Check (as Works Nishi)
• Sorcerian (Mega Drive;
  1990) — Special Thanks (as Works Nishi)
• Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom (Mega Drive;
  1990) — Special Thanks (as Chiemushi)
• Ghostbusters (Mega Drive) (Mega Drive;
  1990) — Designer (as Locky P)
• Putter Golf (Mega Drive;
  1990) — Designer (as Locky P)
• Tougi Ou King Colossus (Mega Drive;
  1992) — Special thanks to (as LOCKY.P)
• Honoo no Toukyuuji Dodge Danpei (Mega Drive;
  1992) — Special Thanks (as Locky★P)
• Columns III: Revenge of Columns (Mega Drive;
  1993) — Assistant Design (as Locky P)
• Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium (Mega Drive;
  1993) — Script (as A.Nishiyama)
• Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium (Mega Drive;
  1993) — Monster Graphic Design (as A.Nishiyama)
• Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium (Mega Drive;
  1993) — System Plan (as A.Nishiyama)
• Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium (Mega Drive;
  1993) — Mechanic Design (as A.Nishiyama)
• Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium (Mega Drive;
  1993) — Map Design (as A.Nishiyama)
• Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium (Mega Drive;
  1993) — Object Design (as A.Nishiyama)
• Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium (Mega Drive;
  1993) — Font Design (as A.Nishiyama)
• Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium (Mega Drive;
  1993) — Papet Event Plan (as A.Nishiyama)
• Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium (Mega Drive;
  1993) — Planners
• Puyo Pop (Game Boy Advance) (Game Boy Advance;
  2001) — Director
• Puyo Puyo! () — Producer
• Puyo Puyo! (Wii;
  2007) — Chief Producer
• K-On! Houkago Live!! (PlayStation Portable;
  2010) — シニアプロデューサー (as 西山 彰則)

• Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Mega Drive version) (1992) — Special Thanks (as Locky P)
• Ikasuze! Koi no Doki Doki Penguin Land MD (1992) — Graphic Designer
• Sonic Jam (1997) — Special Thanks
• Sonic Adventure (1998) — Story event director, Scenario writer
• Sonic Shuffle (2000) — Supervisor (Sonic Team)
• Sonic Adventure 2 (2001) — Recording Coordinator (Japanese Character Voices), Product Support
• Sonic Advance (2001) — Director
• Sonic Advance 2 (2002) — Director
• Sonic Adventure 2: Battle (2002) — Product Coordinator (Tiny Chao Garden), Recording Coordinator (Japanese Character Voices), Product Support
• Sonic X (2003) — Supervisor
• Sonic Pinball Party (2003) — Director
• Sonic Heroes (2003) — Recording Coordinator, Product Support
• Sonic Advance 3 (2004) — Director
• Puyo Puyo Fever 2 (2005) — General Manager
• Sonic Gems Collection (2005) — Chief Producer
• Shadow the Hedgehog (2005) — Development Support
• Sonic Rush (2005) — Director
• Sonic Riders (2006) — Recording Coordinator
• Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) — Chief Producer
• Sonic and the Secret Rings (2007) — Chief Producer
• Sonic Rush Adventure (2007) — Producer
• Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (2007) — General Producer
• Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity (2008) — Recording Coordinator, Chief Producer
• Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008) — Supervisor (Original Games)
• Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 32: Phantasy Star Complete Collection (2008) — Special Thanks
• Sega Superstars Tennis (2008) — Special Thanks
• Night of the Werehog (2008) — Special Thanks
• Sonic Unleashed (2008) — Creative Producer
• Sonic and the Black Knight (2009) — Chief Producer
• Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (2009) — Sonic Character Supervisor
• Phantasy Star Portable 2 (2009) — Special Thanks (Sega of Japan)
• Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA 2nd (2010) — Special Thanks
• Resonance of Fate (2010) — Chief Producer (Sega of Japan)
• Shining Hearts (2010) — Development Support
• Valkyria Chronicles II (2010) — Special Thanks
• Crush 3D (2012) — Special Thanks (Sega Corporate)
• Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Extend (2010) — Special Thanks
• 7th Dragon 2020 (2011) — Special Thanks
• Rise of Nightmares (2011) — Chief Producer
• Valkyria Chronicles III (2011) — Chief Producer
• Hell Yeah! Wrath of the Dead Rabbit (2012) — Special Thanks
• Phantasy Star Online 2 (2012) — Senior Producer
• Renegade Ops (2012) — Special Thanks
• Shining Blade (2012) — Chief Producer
• ToeJam & Earl Collection — Senior Producer (Sega of Japan)
• Nights Into Dreams (Sega Heritage Version) (2012) — Senior Producer (Sega of Japan)

Interviews

Some or all of the following content should be mirrored on Sega Retro (or Retro CDN).

• Akinori Nishiyama & Takashi Yuda interview by Kikizo (November 30, 2005)