is a Japanese former

game producer A video game producer is the top person in charge of overseeing development of a video game. History The earliest documented use of the term ''producer'' in games was by Trip Hawkins, who established the position when he founded Electronic Art ...

Square Enix is a Japanese multinational holding company, production enterprise and entertainment conglomerate, best known for its ''Final Fantasy'', ''Dragon Quest'', '' Star Ocean'' and ''Kingdom Hearts'' role-playing video game franchises, among numerou ...

and currently Senior Advisor at

Sony Music Entertainment Japan , often abbreviated as SMEJ or simply SME, and also known as Sony Music Japan for short (stylized as ''SonyMusic''), is a Japanese music arm for Sony. Founded in 1968 as CBS/Sony, SMEJ is directly owned by Sony Group Corporation and is oper ...

and a board member at Forwardworks. He served as the ''

Final Fantasy is a Japanese science fantasy anthology media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi and developed and owned by Square Enix (formerly Square). The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science fantasy role-playing video games. The ...

'' series Brand Manager for over a decade, was an Executive Officer at Square Enix board of directors and he was the Head of Square Enix's Business Division 3 for 6 years. He is also the co-creator of the ''

Kingdom Hearts is a series of action role-playing games developed and published by Square Enix (originally by Square). It is a collaboration between Square Enix and The Walt Disney Company and is under the leadership of Tetsuya Nomura, a longtime Square E ...

'' series. He served as corporate executive of the company's 1st Production Department during its entire existence. In May 2021, Hashimoto announced he would be working in Square Enix Holdings as Corporate Advisor training future leaders of the company, after he stepped down from his position of Executive Director and Final Fantasy Brand Manager at Square Enix Co. Hashimoto retired from his duties at Square Enix on May 31, 2022. On June 16, 2022, Hashimoto announced he would be a Senior Advisor at Sony Music Entertainment Japan, as well as board member for ForwardWorks.

Biography

Early work

Hashimoto previously worked for the toy company

Bandai is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturer and distributor headquartered in Taitō, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Toys & Collectables America and Bandai UK, are respectively headquartered in Irvine ...

. He joined Squaresoft (later known as

) in 1995, which is where he spent the rest of his career.

''Final Fantasy''

He was the promotions producer for ''

Final Fantasy VII is a 1997 role-playing video game developed by Square for the PlayStation console. It is the seventh main installment in the '' Final Fantasy'' series. Published in Japan by Square, it was released in other regions by Sony Computer Enterta ...

''. When asked at E3 2008 about the possibility of a remake of ''

'', he said that

is aware fans would like that, and that they are very busy making other titles first. As ''

Final Fantasy X-2 is a 2003 role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation 2. Unlike most ''Final Fantasy'' games, which use self-contained stories and characters, ''X-2'' continues the story of '' Final Fantasy X'' (2001). The ...

'' and ''

'' were being completed, the learning experience the team had during the ''

Compilation of Final Fantasy VII The ''Compilation of Final Fantasy VII'' is a metaseries produced by Square Enix. A subseries stemming from the main ''Final Fantasy'' series, it is a collection of video games, animated features and short stories based in the world and contin ...

'' project spawned the ''

Fabula Nova Crystallis ''Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy'' is a series of games within the '' Final Fantasy'' video game franchise. It was primarily developed by series creator and developer Square Enix, which also acted as publisher for all titles. While featuri ...

'' series which was supposed to build on it.

''Kingdom Hearts''

When Square was sharing a building in Tokyo with the Disney corporation, Hashimoto found himself conversing in an elevator with a Disney executive, and there they conceived the crossover between Square Enix and Disney called ''

''. Hashimoto has stated that the new features in ''

Kingdom Hearts II is a 2005 action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix in collaboration with Buena Vista Games for the PlayStation 2 video game console. The game is a sequel to '' Kingdom Hearts'', and like the original game, combines c ...

'' were the result of the success of the first game and

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

's increased trust in

to pull off an excellent product.

Other games

While working on ''

Front Mission Evolved is a third-person shooter video game developed by Double Helix Games and published by Square Enix. Unlike previous ''Front Mission'' titles which have a tactical role-playing game structure, players engage in combat in real time on 3D maps using ...

'', one of the challenges was balancing the speed of the real time battles the wanzers, or

mech In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines controlled by people, typically depicted as humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the meaning in Japanese is ...

s, were having so that the game was realistic to the mechs size, but also still fast enough to be engaging.

Priorities

While discussing ''

Final Fantasy XIII is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles and later for the Microsoft Windows operating system. Released in Japan in December 2009 and international in March 2010, it is the ...

'', Hashimoto mentioned that

has been attempting to make localization of their game releases close the release gap between Japan and the rest of the world.

Games

As producer

*'' Famicom Jump: Hero Retsuden'' (1989) *'' Famicom Jump II: Saikyō no Shichinin'' (1991) *''

Dragon Ball Z ''Dragon Ball Z'' is a Japanese anime television series produced by Toei Animation. Part of the ''Dragon Ball'' media franchise, it is the sequel to the 1986 '' Dragon Ball'' anime series and adapts the latter 325 chapters of the original ...

'' (1993) *'' Dragon Ball Z 2: Super Battle'' (1994) *''

Front Mission is a collection of video games and related media produced by Square, now Square Enix. The series was created by Toshiro Tsuchida and developed by G-Craft, a studio that was later absorbed by Square and existed within Square Enix as Product Dev ...

'' (1995) *'' Treasure Hunter G'' (1996) *''

Tobal 2 is a 3D fighting video game developed by DreamFactory and released by Square in Japan in 1997. It is the sequel to '' Tobal No. 1''. The game was re-released in 2007 under Square Enix's "Legendary Hits" label. As of 2010, the game held the rec ...

'' (1997) *''

Front Mission Alternative is a real-time tactics video game developed and published by Square, and was released in Japan on December 18, 1997. ''Front Mission Alternative'' is the second spin-off entry and the fourth entry overall in the ''Front Mission'' series. Unlike ...

'' (1997) *'' Chocobo's Dungeon'' (1997) *''

Final Fantasy VIII is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation console. Released in 1999, it is the eighth main installment in the '' Final Fantasy'' series. Set on an unnamed fantasy world with science fiction elements, t ...

'' (1999) *''

Chocobo Racing ''Chocobo Racing'', known in Japan as , is a racing game developed by Square Co. for the PlayStation. The game was released in Japan in March 1999, followed by North America and Europe in August and October, respectively. The game's star and na ...

'' (1999) *''

Cyber Org is an action video game developed by FuzzBox, published by Square and released in 1999 for the PlayStation. A majority of the game is in English. Gameplay Classified as a Space Opera, a new type of action game, ''Cyber Org'' is set in a futuri ...

'' (1999) *''

Driving Emotion Type-S is a racing game developed by Escape, a subsidiary of Square. It was published in Japan on March 30, 2000 and was Square's first release for the PlayStation 2 console. After criticisms of the game's handling, the international versions feature re ...

'' (2000) *''

Final Fantasy IX is a 2000 role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation video game console. It is the ninth game in the main ''Final Fantasy'' series. The plot focuses on a war between nations in a medieval fantasy world called ...

'' (2000) *'' The Bouncer'' (2000) *''Wild Card'' (2001) *''

'' (2002) *'' Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories'' (2004) *''

'' (2005) *'' Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories'' (2007) *''

The World Ends with You ''The World Ends with You'' is an action role-playing game developed by Square Enix and Jupiter and published by Square Enix for the Nintendo DS. Set in the modern-day Shibuya shopping district of Tokyo, the game uses urban fantasy elements ins ...

'' (2007) *''

'' (2010) *''Imaginary Range'' (2011) *''Imaginary Range II'' (2012) *''

'' (Nintendo 3DS version, 2015) *''

'' (iOS version, 2015) *''

'' (iOS, Android & Windows PC versions, 2016) *''Pukux'' (2016) *''

'' (Android version, 2016) *''

World of Final Fantasy ''World of Final Fantasy'' is a role-playing video game developed by Tose and published by Square Enix. It is a spin-off of the ''Final Fantasy'' franchise, featuring characters from across its mainline and supplementary entries. Initially releas ...

'' (2016) *''

Final Fantasy XV is an action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix. The fifteenth main installment of the ''Final Fantasy'' series, it was released for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2016, Microsoft Windows in 2018, and as a launch title ...

'' (2016) *''

'' (PlayStation 4 version, 2017) *'' The Last Remnant'' (PlayStation 4 version, 2018) *''

'' (Xbox One & Nintendo Switch versions, 2019) *''

Left Alive ''Left Alive'' is a 2019 stealth video game developed by Ilinx and published by Square Enix for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 4. It was announced at a press conference by Sony Interactive Entertainment before the 2017 Tokyo Game Show. Set in ...

'' (2019) *''

'' (Xbox One & Nintendo Switch versions, 2019) *'' The Last Remnant'' (Nintendo Switch version, 2019) *''

'' (PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, & Windows versions, 2019)

As executive producer

*''

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki. It was originally serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1987 to 2004, and was transferred to the monthly ''seinen'' manga ...

'' (1993) *'' Bastard!!: Ankoku no Hakai-shin'' (1994) *'' Front Mission: Gun Hazard'' (1996) *''

Tobal No. 1 is a fighting video game for the PlayStation developed by DreamFactory and published by Square in 1996. The game was DreamFactory's first release, as well as Square's first release on the CD-based console. ''Tobal No. 1'' marks Square's first in ...

'' (1996) *''

Final Fantasy IV known as ''Final Fantasy II'' for its initial North American release, is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix) for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Released in 1991, it is the fourth main instal ...

'' (PlayStation version, 1997) *'' Einhänder'' (1997) *''

Final Fantasy V is a fantasy role-playing video game developed and published by Square in 1992. It is the fifth main installment of the ''Final Fantasy'' series. The game first appeared only in Japan on Nintendo's Super Famicom (known internationally as the S ...

'' (PlayStation version, 1998) *''

Ehrgeiz , fully titled ''Ehrgeiz: God Bless the Ring'', is a 3D fighting video game developed by DreamFactory and published by Namco in 1998 for the arcade platform. It was first ported to the PlayStation and published by Square Co. in 1998, then to ...

'' (2000) *'' Final Fantasy IV Advance'' (2005) *''

Final Fantasy V Advance is a fantasy role-playing video game developed and published by Square in 1992. It is the fifth main installment of the ''Final Fantasy'' series. The game first appeared only in Japan on Nintendo's Super Famicom (known internationally as the Su ...

'' (2006) *'' Final Fantasy VI Advance'' (2006) *''

'' (PlayStation Portable version, 2007) *''

Final Fantasy II * is a fantasy role-playing video game developed and published by Square in 1988 for the Family Computer as the second installment of the ''Final Fantasy'' series. The game has received numerous enhanced remakes for the WonderSwan Color, the P ...

'' (PlayStation Portable version, 2007) *''

'' (2007) *'' Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon'' (2007) *''

Kingdom Hearts coded ''Kingdom Hearts Coded'' is an episodic action role-playing puzzle video game developed and published by Square Enix, in collaboration with Disney Interactive Studios, for mobile phones. ''Coded'' was a Japan-only release announced at the 2007 ...

'' (2008) *''

Chrono Trigger is a 1995 role-playing video game developed and published by Square. It was originally released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System as the first game in the ''Chrono'' series. The game's development team included three designers th ...

'' ( Nintendo DS version, 2008) *''

Yosumin DS is a puzzle video game released as a flash game for the personal computer. Later, it was ported to the Nintendo DS console and the Xbox 360. The game involves players manipulating a grid of "yosumin", or tiles to make color matches and eliminate ...

'' (2009) *''

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (subtitle read as "Three-Five-Eight Days over Two") is an action role-playing video game developed by h.a.n.d. and Square Enix (in collaboration with Disney Interactive Studios) for the Nintendo DS. It is the fifth installment in the '' King ...

'' (2009) *''

Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep is an action role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix in collaboration with Disney Interactive Studios for the PlayStation Portable, serving as the sixth installment in the '' Kingdom Hearts'' series. The game was re ...

'' (2010) *'' Estpolis: The Lands Cursed by the Gods'' (2010) *'' Kingdom Hearts Re:coded'' (2010) *''

The 3rd Birthday is a role-playing shooter co-developed by Square Enix's 1st Production Department and HexaDrive, and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation Portable. It was released in Japan in 2010 and in North America and Europe in 2011. The game is the ...

'' (2010) *''

Final Fantasy Type-0 is an action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation Portable (PSP). Released in Japan on October 27, 2011, ''Type-0'' is part of the '' Fabula Nova Crystallis'' subseries, a set of games sharing a common m ...

'' (2011) *''

Final Fantasy XIII-2 is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It was released in 2011 in Japan and 2012 in North America and PAL regions, and was ported to Microsoft Windows in 2014 and iOS and Andro ...

'' (2011) *'' Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection'' (2012) *''

Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance ''Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance'' is an action role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for the Nintendo 3DS, revealed at E3 2010. The game is the seventh installment in the ''Kingdom Hearts'' series and was re ...

'' (2012) *''

Final Fantasy III is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Family Computer. The third installment in the ''Final Fantasy'' series, it is the first numbered ''Final Fantasy'' game to feature the job-change system. The story revolve ...

'' (PlayStation Portable version, 2012) *''

Final Fantasy All the Bravest ''Final Fantasy All the Bravest'' was a video game in the ''Final Fantasy'' series developed by BitGroove and published by Square Enix. The game was released for iOS and Android mobile devices. The title featured gameplay, characters, locatio ...

'' (2013) *''

Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix ''Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix'' is a High-definition remasters for PlayStation consoles, HD remastered collection of the ''Kingdom Hearts'' series, developed by Square Enix originally for the PlayStation 3. It was revealed in September 2012 and ...

'' (2013) *'' Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII'' (2013) *''

Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster is a high-definition remaster of the role-playing video games ''Final Fantasy X'' and ''Final Fantasy X-2'', originally developed by Square (now Square Enix) on the PlayStation 2 in the early 2000s. It also features story content previously on ...

'' (2013) *''

Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix ''Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix'' is an HD remastered collection of three games in Square Enix's '' Kingdom Hearts'' series: '' Kingdom Hearts II'', '' Birth by Sleep'' and '' Re:coded''. A successor to the series' '' HD 1.5 Remix'' collection, ...

'' (2014) *''

Final Fantasy Explorers is an action role-playing video game for the Nintendo 3DS. It features character job-oriented combat against classic ''Final Fantasy'' monsters and summons. It was released in Japan in December 2014, and in North America and Europe in January 201 ...

'' (2014) *''

'' (PlayStation 4 version, 2015) *''

Kingdom Hearts χ stylized as ''Kingdom Hearts χ hi', is a Japanese role-playing browser game developed by Square Enix (in collaboration with Disney Interactive Studios), BitGroove and Success, and published by Square Enix for web browsers as the eighth instal ...

'' (2015) *''

Dissidia Final Fantasy is a fighting game with action RPG elements developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation Portable as part of the campaign for the ''Final Fantasy'' series' 20th anniversary. It was released in Japan on December 18, 2008, in North ...

'' (2015) *''

'' (PlayStation 4 version, 2015) *''

'' (Windows PC version, 2016) *''

Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue ''Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue'' is a compilation of games from the ''Kingdom Hearts'' series, developed and published by Square Enix in collaboration with Disney Interactive, Disney Interactive Studios. A successor to the ''Kingd ...

'' (2017) *'' Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age'' (2017) *''World of Final Fantasy: Meli-Melo'' (2017) *''

Dissidia Final Fantasy NT is a fighting game with action role-playing elements developed by Koei Tecmo's Team Ninja and published by Square Enix for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 4. The game is a follow-up to '' Dissidia Final Fantasy'' and '' Dissidia 012 Final ...

'' (2018) *''

Kingdom Hearts III is a 2019 action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows and Nintendo Switch. It is the twelfth installment in the '' Kingdom Hearts'' series, and serves as a conclusion of t ...

'' (2019) *''

Final Fantasy VII Remake is a 2020 action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix. It is the first in a planned trilogy of games Video game remake, remaking the 1997 PlayStation (console), PlayStation game ''Final Fantasy VII''. Set in the dystopian c ...

'' (2020) *'' Neo: The World Ends with You'' (2021)

In other positions

*'' Kidō Senshi Z-Gundam: Hot Scramble'' (1986): marketing *''

'' (1995): special thanks *''

Super Mario RPG ''Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars'' is a role-playing video game developed by Square and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1996. It was the final ''Mario'' game published for the SNES. The game was ...

'' (1996): special thanks *''

'' (1997): publicity producer *''

Front Mission 2 ''Front Mission 2'', also known in Japan as is a tactical role-playing game for the Sony PlayStation developed by G-Craft and published by Square, and was released in Japan on September 25, 1997. ''Front Mission 2'' is the second main entry and ...

'' (1997): project supervisor *''

Parasite Eve II is an action role-playing survival horror video game released for the PlayStation. The game was developed by Square, published in Japan in 1999 and in both North America and, unlike the previous game, in PAL regions in 2000. It is the sequel to ' ...

'' (1999): special advisor *'' Star Ocean: Till the End of Time'' (2004): general manager *''

'' (2003): sales and marketing producer *'' Front Mission 4'' (2003): executive manager *'' Fullmetal Alchemist and the Broken Angel'' (2003): sales and marketing executive manager *'' Fullmetal Alchemist 2: Curse of the Crimson Elixir'' (2004): executive manager *'' Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime'' (2005): corporate executive *''

Project Sylpheed , also known as ''Project Sylpheed: Arc of Deception'' in North America, is a Space flight simulator game, space simulation game for the Xbox 360 console. It was developed by SETA Corporation, SETA and published by Square Enix and Microsoft. The g ...

'' (2006): corporate executive *'' Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII'' (2006): senior vice president *''

Dawn of Mana ''Dawn of Mana'' is a 2006 action-adventure game for the PlayStation 2. It was developed and published by Square Enix. It is the eighth game of the ''Mana'' series and the third entry in the ''World of Mana'' subseries, following the release of ...

'' (2006): special thanks *'' Space Invaders Extreme'' (2008): general producer *'' The Last Remnant'' (2008): corporate executive *'' Puzzle Bobble Live'' (2009): general producer and general manager *'' Qix++'' (2009): general producer *''

'', Windows PC version (2012): senior executive managing officer *'' Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn'' (2013): special thanks *'' Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward'' (2015): special thanks *'' Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius'' (2015): production executive *'' Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness'' (2016): division executive *'' Itadaki Street: Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary'' (2017) — special thanks

Filmography

*'' Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children'' (2005): producer *'' Last Order: Final Fantasy VII'' (2005): executive producer *'' Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete'' (2009): producer *'' Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV'' (2016) producer

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hashimoto, Shinji Japanese video game producers 1958 births Living people Komazawa University alumni Square Enix people