Emiko Yamamoto

From Sega Retro

EmikoYamamoto.jpg
Emiko Yamamoto
Employment history:
Divisions:
Disney Interactive Media Group
Role(s): Designer, director

Emiko Yamamoto (山本 恵美子) is a game designer and producer at Disney. She is best known among Sega enthusiasts for her work on the loosely affiliated Castle of Illusion series.

Yamamoto's main contribution to the Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck franchises was the Mega Drive's I Love ... series: I Love Mickey Mouse: Fushigi no Oshiro Daibouken (Castle of Illusion), I Love Donald Duck: Guruzia Ou no Hihou (Quackshot) and I Love Mickey and Donald: Fushigi na Magic Box (World of Illusion).

She was also co-credited for game design on the Master System/Game Gear version of Castle of Illusion. Though not directly involved in the games that followed (Mickey Mouse's Land of Illusion and Legend of Illusion; Donald Duck's Lucky Dime Caper and Deep Duck Trouble), the series continued in the style of her titles, and the credits of Deep Duck Trouble give special thanks to her.

Yamamoto continues to work at Disney, becoming an executive producer at the Japanese division of Disney Interactive and working as a producer on a variety of games, including the Kingdom Hearts series. In 2013, she returned to her first creation for the HD remake of Castle of Illusion.

Quotes

  • "When I was thinking about what people remember fondly about the game ... at the time, I think it was enjoying the thrills and getting the timing right when they played it. I think enjoying the game world, and experiencing the fantasy world of Disney were a big part of it, too."
on the continued appeal of Castle of Illusion
  • "It was my first time making a game, so I came up with ideas I thought might be interesting; things I thought would help flesh out the fantasy world, without being hesitant about how difficult or unconventional they might be. In that sense, I think that helped us make an unique game."
recalling the development of Castle of Illusion

Production history

Interview

References