Difference between revisions of "Yu Suzuki"

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[[File:Yu Suzuki.jpg|frameless|right]]
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{{PersonBob
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'''Yu Suzuki''' (鈴木 裕), [[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
 +
| 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=
 +
| employment=
 +
{{Employment
 +
| company=[[Sega Enterprises, Ltd.|Sega Enterprises]]
 +
| start=1983-04{{magref|edge|9|49}}
 +
| 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]]
 +
}}
 +
{{Employment
 +
| company=[[Sega-AM2 (company)|Sega-AM2]]
 +
}}
 +
{{Employment
 +
| company=[[DigitalRex]]
 +
| start=2003
 +
| end=2004
 +
}}
 +
{{Employment
 +
| 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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| 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.
 +
 
 +
==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.
 +
 
 +
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]]{{magref|nextgeneration|77|61}}.
 +
 
 +
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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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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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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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.  
+
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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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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==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.
  
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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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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.
  
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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. Since then he now runs his own game company, [http://www.ysnet-inc.jp/ YS NET Inc.] (established November 11, 2008), but still retains a good relationship with Sega.
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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}}.
  
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==Production History==
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==Production history==
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{{cleanup}}
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{{ProductionHistory|Yu Suzuki|Yu|鈴木 裕|Yu.}}
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 +
[[Category:Uncredited role]]
 +
[[Category:Use ProductionHistory template]]
 
{{multicol|
 
{{multicol|
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* ''[[Champion Boxing]]'' (1984) — Programmer, Director
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* ''[[Champion Pro Wrestling]]'' (1985) — Director, Producer
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* ''[[Space Harrier]]'' (Arcade Version) (1985) — Producer, Director
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* ''[[Hang-On]]'' ([[Sega Master System|Master System]] Version) (1985) — Special Thanks
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* ''[[Hang-On]]'' (Arcade Version) (1985) — Producer, Director
 
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* ''[[OutRun]]'' (Arcade Version) (1986) — Producer, Director
 
 
* ''[[Super Hang-On]]'' (Arcade Version) (1986) — Producer
 
* ''[[Super Hang-On]]'' (Arcade Version) (1986) — Producer
−
* ''[[After Burner II]]'' (Arcade Version) (1986) — Producer, Director
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* ''[[GP Rider]]'' (Arcade Version) (1990) — Producer
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* ''[[Space Harrier]]'' (Master System Version) (1986) — Special Thanks (as '''Yu''')
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* ''[[Strike Fighter]]'' (''[[After Burner III]]'') (Arcade Version) (1991) — Designer, Producer
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* ''[[Power Drift]]'' (Arcade Version) (1988) — Producer, Director
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* ''[[F1 Exhaust Note]]'' (1991) — Producer
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* ''[[Turbo Outrun]]'' (Arcade Version) (1989) — Sp. Thanks  (as '''Yu.''')
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* ''[[Soreike Kokology]]'' (1991) — Producer
−
* ''[[Virtua Racing]]'' (Arcade Version) (1992) — Director / Chief Programmer [NOTE: Also Producer]
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* ''[[Virtua Formula]]'' (1993) — Producer
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* ''[[Virtua Fighter]]'' (Arcade Version) (1993) — Producer & Director
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* ''[[Soreike Kokology 2]]'' (1993) — Producer
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* ''[[Virtua Fighter]]'' (Saturn Version) (1994) — Producer
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* ''[[Virtua Cop 1-2 Pack]]'' (1998) — Supervisor
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* ''[[Daytona USA]]'' (Arcade and Saturn Versions) (1994/1995) — Special Thanks
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* ''[[What's Shenmue]]'' (1999) — Director
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* ''[[Virtua Cop]]'' (1994/1995/1997) — Supervisor
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* ''[[Yu Suzuki Game Works Vol. 1]]'' (2001) — Special Thanks
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* ''[[Virtua Fighter 2]]'' (Arcade Version) (1994) — Producer, Director
 
−
* ''[[Virtua Fighter Remix]]'' (1995) — Producer
 
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* ''[[Virtua Cop 2]]'' (Arcade and Saturn Versions) (1995/1996) — Producer
 
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* ''[[Virtua Fighter]]'' (32X Version) (1995) — Special Thanks
 
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* ''[[Fighting Vipers]]'' (1995/1996) — Producer
 
−
* ''[[Virtua Fighter 2]]'' (Saturn Version) (1995) — Producer
 
−
* ''[[Sonic the Fighters]]'' (1996) — Producer
 
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* ''[[Virtua Fighter 3]]'' (1996) — Producer
 
−
* ''[[Fighters Megamix]]'' (1996) — Producer
 
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* ''[[Virtua Fighter 2]]'' (PC Version) (1997) — Supervisor
 
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* ''[[Virtua Fighter 3: Team Battle]]'' (1997/1998) — Producer
 
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* ''[[Virtua Cop 2]]'' (PC and Dreamcast Versions) (1997/2000) — Supervisor
 
−
* ''[[Ferrari F355 Challenge]]'' (Arcade and Dreamcast Versions) (1999/2000) — Produced and Directed by
 
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* ''[[D-2]]'' (1999) — Special Thanks
 
−
* ''[[Shenmue]]'' (1999) — Story by, Produced by, Directed by, Executive Producer (Sega Enterprises Ltd.) (Shenmue (Orchestra Version) OST)
 
−
* ''[[Eighteen Wheeler: American Pro Trucker]]'' (2000/2002) — Special Thanks
 
−
* ''[[Shenmue II]]'' (Dreamcast Version) (2001) — Story by
 
−
* ''[[Propeller Arena: Aviation Battle Championship]] (2001; unreleased) — Producer
 
−
* ''[[Virtua Fighter 4]]'' (Arcade Version) (2001) — Producer
 
−
* ''[[Virtua Fighter 4]]'' (PS2 Version) (2002) — Executive Director
 
−
* ''[[Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution]]'' (Arcade Version) (2002) — Producer
 
−
* ''[[Virtua Cop: Elite Edition]]'' (2002) — Producer
 
−
* ''[[Ferrari F355 Challenge]]'' (PS2 Version) (2002) — Producer
 
−
* ''[[Shenmue II]]'' (Xbox Version) (2002) — Executive Producer (Xbox Version), Directed by (Tie‑up With), Produced by (Tie‑up With)
 
−
* ''[[Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution]]'' (PS2 Version) (2003) — Executive Director
 
−
* ''[[OutRun 2]]'' (Arcade Version) (2003) — Producer
 
−
* ''[[Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 8: Virtua Racing FlatOut|Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 8: Virtua Racing -FlatOut-]]'' (2004) — Executive Supervisor
 
−
* ''[[Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 13: OutRun]]'' (2004) — Executive Supervisor
 
−
* ''[[Virtua Fighter 4: Final Tuned]]'' (2004) — Producer
 
−
* ''[[Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 19: Fighting Vipers]]'' (2005) — Producer
 
−
* ''[[Sega Race TV]]'' (2008) — Director
 
−
* ''[[Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing]]'' (2010) — Creative Officer (Sega Japan)
 
 
* ''[[Pure Breed]]'' (cancelled) — Concept
 
* ''[[Pure Breed]]'' (cancelled) — Concept
−
* ''[[Psy-Phi]]'' (Arcade) (2005) — Director, Producer, Concept
+
* ''[[Psy-Phi]]'' (2005) — Director
−
* ''[[Shenmue III]]'' ([[wikipedia:PlayStation 4|PS4]] & PC Versions) (2017) — Director & Producer
+
* ''[[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
 
}}
 
}}
  
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Suzuki, Yu}}
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==Song credits==
−
[[Category:Sega AM2 Developers]]
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{{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 15:29, 17 December 2023

YuSuzuki 2.png
Yu Suzuki
Place of birth: Kamaishi, Iwate, Japan
Date of birth: 1958-06-10[1][2] (age 66)
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:VFCGP06_Saturn_JP_SSEnding.pdf
  18. ↑ File:VFCGP05_Saturn_JP_SSEnding.pdf
  19. ↑ File:Virtua Fighter CG Portrait Series The Final Dural Saturn credits.pdf
  20. ↑ File:VFCGP07_Saturn_JP_SSEnding.pdf
  21. ↑ File:VFCGP08_Saturn_JP_SSEnding.pdf
  22. ↑ File:VFCGP09_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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