Hisashi Suzuki

Hisashi Suzuki
Date of birth: 1941-11-17 (age 82)
Company(ies): Sega of Japan
Role(s): Executive, Director, Lead Engineer

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Hisashi Suzuki (鈴木 久司) is a Japanese businessman and engineer and the first documented employee of Sega of Japan, known for his crucial work in the company's critically-acclaimed electro-mechanical arcade game engineering, and for overseeing much of the company's growth and success during that era, eventually rising to become the company's long-term head of R&D for over two decades.

History

Hisashi Suzuki is the earliest documented Sega employee, joining the company in 1962 (Nihon Kikai Seizou). He led the Sega Production and Engineering Department from 1965 to 1984. As the lead engineer, he created many electro-mechanical arcade games in the 1960s and 1970s. He was largely responsible for Sega's early breakthroughs in the arcade industry, from Periscope (1966) and Duck Hunt (1969) to Jet Rocket (1970) and Killer Shark (1972).

He gradually moved up the corporate ladder, to the head of R&D at Sega, and was mainly involved in the arcade aspects of the company and was on the Board of Directors of Sega from 1999 onwards. From 2001 to 2003, he held the presidental role of Sega AM2, demoting Yu Suzuki from his position. In 2003, he gave this position to Hiroshi Kataoka. Since 2003, he became part of the CSK Research Institute (now CRI Middleware), founded by Isao Okawa. He held the Chairman and Advsior role for the company. In December 2014, he retired from this position at the age of 75.

Common colleagues include Isao Okawa, Hayao Nakayama, Hideki Sato and Yu Suzuki.

Production history

• Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Mega Drive; 1992) — Executive Supporters
• Sonic & Knuckles (Mega Drive; 1994) — Project Managers
• Die Hard Arcade (Sega Titan Video; 1996) — Executive Producer
• Die Hard Arcade (Saturn; 1997) — Executive Producer
• Dynamite Cop (Model 2; 1998) — Executive Producer
• Blue Stinger (Dreamcast; 1999) — Sega Enterprises
• Dynamite Cop (Dreamcast; 1999) — Executive Producer
• ChuChu Rocket! (Dreamcast; 1999) — エグゼクティブマネージャー (as すずき ひさし)
• Dynamite Baseball '99 (NAOMI; 1999) — エグゼクティブプロデューサー (as 鈴木 久司)
• Samba de Amigo (NAOMI; 1999) — Executive Manager
• Sword of the Berserk: Guts' Rage (Dreamcast; 1999) — Executive Producer
• Space Channel 5 (Dreamcast; 1999) — Very Executive Producer
• Sega Smash Pack 2 (Windows PC; 2000) — Special Thanks
• Samba de Amigo (Dreamcast; 2000) — Executive Manager
• Samba de Amigo (Dreamcast; 2000) — Executive Managers
• Quiz Aa! Megami-sama: Tatakau Tsubasa to Tomoni (Dreamcast; 2000) (as 鈴木 久司)
• Virtua Fighter 4 (NAOMI 2; 2001) — Executive Producer
• Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution (NAOMI 2; 2002) — Executive Producer
• Virtua Fighter 4 (PlayStation 2; 2002) — Executive Producer (as 鈴木 久司)
• F355 Challenge (PlayStation 2; 2002) — General Producer
• Virtua Cop 3 (Chihiro; 2003) — Executive Producer
• Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution (PlayStation 2; 2003) — Executive Producer
• The King of Route 66 (PlayStation 2; 2003) — Executive Producer
• Virtua Quest (PlayStation 2; 2004) — スペシャルサンクス (as 鈴木 久司)
• Virtua Quest (GameCube; 2004) — Special Thanks
• Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 26: Dynamite Deka (PlayStation 2; 2006) — Special Thanks

• Periscope (1966)
• Duck Hunt (1969)
• Grand Prix (1969)
• Missile (1969)
• Gun Fight (1970)
• Jet Rocket (1970)
• Killer Shark (1972)
• Moto Champ (1973)
• Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992) — Executive Supporter
• Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1993) — Project Manager
• Sonic & Knuckles (1994) — Project Manager
• Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles (1994) — Project Manager
• Sega Smash Pack 2 (2000) — Special Thanks
• Space Channel 5: Part 2 (2002) — Very Executive Producer

Photographs

Main article: Photos of Hisashi Suzuki

External links

• Video Game Storytellers Part 11: Sega's arcade game golden age, where Mr. Hisashi Suzuki poured his soul into article by Hisashi Suzuki at 4Gamer.net (Japanese)