A pioneer in gaming entertainment for over three decades, He has cemented a place in history for his visionary work. The advancements he brought about in 3D technology, open world gaming, and game play mechanics have broken and redefined genre after genre, influencing countless games since.
Shibuya Productions President & CEO Â Based in Monaco, Shibuya Productions produces and promotes animation, games and movies. Engaged and knowledgeable about Japanese culture, they serve as a nexus of cultural exchange to and from Japan. They are currently producing the new Astroboy TV series: Astroboy Reboot.Â
Takeshi Hirai is the lead programmer for the Shenmue series. In 2010 founded the independent game development studio, Neilo Inc, producing
Orgarythm for the Playstation Vita and the Japanese arcade version of
Left 4 Dead: Survivors.
Wrote the screenplay and game script for Shenmue. Masahiro Yoshimoto has over thirty years of experience writing for Japanese movies and TV dramas.
Shenmue’s main character design artist. After working with SEGA, Kenji Miyawaki went on to do mechanical and prop design for anime including the
Bakugan series,
Maken-Ki! Battling Venus andÂ
Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan: Demon Capital.
A prolific composer and performer, Ryuji Iuchi wrote many songs for Shenmue 1 & 2 including "Shenhua's Theme." His long list of work includes composition and arrangement for albums, movies, TV programs, concerts and events. Among his video game credits areÂ
Exstetra and
Spectral Force Legacy.
Manabu Takimoto was the environment designer for the original Shenmue. He is an architect who has designed everything from office buildings to bars. His work with Shenmue helped bring the outside world into video games.
The actor playing Ryo in Shenmue 1 and 2. A star of both stage and screen, Masaya Matsukaze has also lent his voice for video games, radio, and many anime includingÂ
Death Note,
Fairy Tale, Gintama, and Hunter x Hunter.
Hiroaki Takeuchi is Japan’s leading producer in both traditional cel and digital animation. Worked at the publishing house SHUEISHA, Inc. producing the website which brought
Yu-Gi-Oh! and
Dragon Ball to the world. Co-produced
The Animatrix.
Director, producer, and animator, Kenji Itoso already has a long career in the live film and animation industries, and has self-produced a number of animated films, including the award winning
Santa Company and
Coluboccoro.