Naoto Ohshima

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Naoto Ōshima
Place of birth: Osaka, Japan
Date of birth: 1964-02-26[1] (age 60)
Employment history:
Sega Enterprises (1987-09[1] – )
Divisions:
Arzest (2010 – )
Role(s): Artist, Character Designer, Director
Education: Kyoto Seika University (1986)

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Naoto Ōshima (大島 直人) is a Japanese artist and former Sega of Japan and Sonic Team developer, artist, and director, most known as the original designer of the characters Sonic the Hedgehog and Dr. Eggman. Ohshima gained notoriety at Sega for creating characters and playing integral roles in the development of games like Phantasy Star, NiGHTS into Dreams, and Sonic Adventure.

After leaving Sonic Team, he co-founded (and later became president of) an independent game company called Artoon. There he went on to work on such games as Pinobee and Blinx the Time Sweeper. In 2010, Ohshima and other key Artoon members left the company to form Arzest, another video game development company. Ohshima currently holds the title of Executive Vice President.

Career

Naoto Ohshima initially worked at a design company, hoping to gain experience needed to start a career as a manga artist. Dissatisfied there, he changed jobs to work for a video game developer where his work could make children happy in the same way Santa Claus gives children joy, so he started working at Sega Enterprises in September of 1987[5]. As a graphic designer there, his first project was Phantasy Star[5], where he designed the character Odin, monsters like the Werebat and Vampire and some visual effects[6]. He worked on a couple other Master System games the following year. After witnessing programmer Yuji Naka struggling during development of Phantasy Star II, Ohshima asked if he could help out, and was given heaps of work to do on his Mega Drive debut[5]. He generally disliked not having something to do, so was involved with many games, including the Master System versions of games Rambo III and Altered Beast (neither of which were released in Japan) and Hokuto no Ken: Shin Seikimatsu Kyuuseishu Densetsu[5] (released as Last Battle outside of Japan]). In the case of Hokuto no Ken, he received great praise from users for his artwork[7].

After a cancelled project named Twinkle Star[5], Naoto Ohshima then became the character of Sega's new mascot Sonic the Hedgehog, for the titular Sonic the Hedgehog, reuniting with Phantasy Star programmer Yuji Naka and Fatal Labyrinth game designer Hirokazu Yasuhara. Ohshima was also responsible for the concept art of all the in-game zones[2], which would then be adapted by Jina Ishiwatari and Rieko Kodama. Naoto Ohshima has also been cited as the director of Sonic the Hedgehog for the Mega Drive[8], a role he would reprise with Sonic the Hedgehog CD, basing it around a concept he had earlier in the development of the original Sonic: time travel[5].

Like Twinkle Star, Ohshima's next project would end up being cancelled: Fighting Circus. Following its cancellation in late 1994, he would once again team up with Yuji Naka and reestablish Sonic Team, to direct NiGHTS Into Dreams, as well as design the character of NiGHTS.

Production history

Games

Videos

Music

Magazine articles

Main article: Naoto Ohshima/Magazine articles.

Interviews

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

Photographs

Main article: Photos of Naoto Ohshima

External links

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Sega Magazine, "1997-01 (1997-01)" (JP; 1996-12-13), page 13
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://forums.sonicretro.org/index.php?threads/jina-ishiwatari-tsukaharas-largely-unrecognized-contribution-to-sonic.41246/
  3. ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "1996-01 (1996-01-12,26)" (JP; 1995-12-22), page 182
  4. ↑ Interview: Naoto Ohshima (2009-12-04) by Gamasutra
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 http://shmuplations.com/sonicteam/
  6. ↑ PHANTA! Phantasy Star 30th Anniversary Cosplay Book + Developer Interview Supplement, Pg. 9
  7. ↑ Sega Players Enjoy Club, "Vol. 4" (JP; 1989-10-20), page 6
  8. ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "1996-01 (1996-01-12,26)" (JP; 1995-12-22), page 183
  9. ↑ File:Phantasy Star SMS credits.pdf
  10. ↑ File:Phantasy Star II MD credits.pdf
  11. ↑ File:Super League MD credits.pdf
  12. ↑ File:Hokuto no Ken MD credits.pdf
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 File:Fatal Labyrinth MCD credits.pdf
  14. ↑ File:Sonic Eraser MD credits.pdf
  15. ↑ File:Sonic the Hedgehog MD credits.pdf
  16. ↑ File:Sonic CD MCD JP credits.pdf
  17. ↑ File:Chaotix 32X good ending credits.pdf
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 File:NiGHTS into Dreams Saturn credits.pdf
  19. ↑ File:Sonic CD PC DirectX good ending credits.pdf
  20. ↑ File:Sonic 3D Blast MD credits.pdf
  21. ↑ File:Sonic Jam Saturn credits.pdf
  22. ↑ File:Sonic R Saturn credits.pdf
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 File:Burning Rangers JP Saturn credits.pdf
  24. ↑ File:Sonic 3D Blast Saturn credits.pdf
  25. ↑ File:SonicGenesis GBA US manual.pdf, page 18
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