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is a Japanese
video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
designer A designer is a person who plans the form or structure of something before it is made, by preparing drawings or plans. In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, products, processes, laws, games, graphics, services, or exper ...
, producer, and businessman. Along with ex-
Sega is a Japanese video game company and subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings headquartered in Tokyo. It produces several List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises for arcade game, arcades and video game cons ...
developers he is one of the co-founders of the video game development firm
Q Entertainment was a Japanese video game developer. The studio created, produced, and published digital entertainment content across multiple game consoles, PC broadband and mobile units. It was founded on October 10, 2003 by Tetsuya Mizuguchi, formerly of S ...
. He formerly worked for
Sega is a Japanese video game company and subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings headquartered in Tokyo. It produces several List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises for arcade game, arcades and video game cons ...
as a producer in their Sega AM3 'arcade machines' team, developing games like '' Sega Rally Championship'' and '' Sega Touring Car Championship'', before moving on to become the head of Sega's United Game Artists division, the team responsible for '' Rez'' and '' Space Channel 5''. Mizuguchi is better known for creating video games that incorporate interactive
synesthesia Synesthesia (American English) or synaesthesia (British English) is a perceptual phenomenon in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway. People with sy ...
into his game design, regardless of genre, evidenced by ''Rez'', ''
Lumines (pronounced as "Loo-min-ess") is a puzzle video game series developed by Q Entertainment. The core objective of the games is to survive by rotating and aligning 2×2 blocks varying between two colors to form 2×2 squares of a single color whi ...
'', '' Child of Eden'', and ''
Tetris Effect The Tetris effect occurs when someone dedicates vast amounts of time, effort and concentration on an activity which thereby alters their thoughts, dreams, and other experiences not directly linked to said activity. The term originates from the p ...
''. He left Q Entertainment in 2013. He is currently the CEO of Enhance, Inc., a company he founded in 2014. In 2009, he was chosen by
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
as one of the top 100 game creators of all time.


Early life

Before entering the game industry, Mizuguchi majored in literature at
Nihon University , abbreviated as , is a private research university in Japan. Its predecessor, Nihon Law School (currently the Department of Law), was founded by Yamada Akiyoshi, the Minister of Justice, in 1889. The university's name is derived from the Ja ...
's Faculty of Arts. One of the influences for Mizuguchi joining the game industry was a photograph of NASA's view VR headset. Asked how he chose a career in video games, he explained, "I preferred doing something in relation to human senses or entertainment - something more in relation with human nature, a field where I could do some research. ... Unlike the arts, where it is often a matter of taste whether something is good or not, creating good interactive entertainment is more easily definable. I chose
Sega is a Japanese video game company and subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings headquartered in Tokyo. It produces several List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises for arcade game, arcades and video game cons ...
because it was using new technology and I was able to study things like human movements."


Career


Sega

Mizuguchi worked for Japanese game developer Sega from 1990 to 2003 and began his career – not on a game – but by designing
arcade cabinet An arcade cabinet, also known as an arcade machine or a coin-op cabinet or coin-op machine, is the housing within which an arcade game's electronic hardware resides. Most cabinets designed since the mid-1980s conform to the Japanese Amusement Ma ...
s and an interactive 'ride' titled ''Megalopolis,'' combining then-embryonic 3D polygonal graphics and CGI (
Computer-generated imagery Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is a specific-technology or application of computer graphics for creating or improving images in Digital art, art, Publishing, printed media, Training simulation, simulators, videos and video games. These images ...
) with the physical experience of Sega's hydraulic 'AS-1' motion simulator. He went on to develop the acclaimed racing simulator, '' Sega Rally Championship'', which was influential in the racing space, inspiring future racing game franchises like '' Colin McRae Rally'' (another rally simulator) and the rally segments of '' Gran Turismo''. After forming his own division within Sega, Sega AM Annex, he continued in the racing genre with '' Sega Rally Championship 2'' and '' Sega Touring Car Championship''. During one trip to
Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...
in 1998, Mizuguchi witnessed a music festival in which he observed how people were moving toward the music and how the music, sounds, colors, and dancing would change accordingly. Mizuguchi recognized what he observed as synesthesia and decided to focus on rhythm-based music games where he co-created '' Space Channel 5'', '' Space Channel 5: Part 2'', and '' Rez''. Both ''Space Channel 5'' and ''Rez'' are referenced in modern gaming media as essential and influential to the development of the modern wave of music-rhythm games, with
Harmonix Music Systems Harmonix Music Systems, Inc., doing business as Harmonix, is an American video game developer company based in Boston, Massachusetts. The company was established in May 1995 by Alex Rigopulos and Eran Egozy. Harmonix is perhaps best known as bein ...
co-founder, Alex Rigopulos citing Mizuguchi as an influence in Harmonix's history. Mizuguchi's final position at Sega was Chief Creative Officer of Sega's United Game Artists game division. In September 2003, Sega performed an internal restructuring of its staff. Among these changes was the dissolution of United Game Artists and the transfer of its members into
Sonic Team , doing business as , is a Japanese video game developer owned by Sega. Sonic Team is best known for its ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series and games such as '' Nights into Dreams'' and '' Phantasy Star Online''. The initial team, formed in 1990, c ...
. The following month, Mizuguchi announced that he would leave Sega on October 10, 2003. He cited the changes in the corporate culture after the Sega-Sammy merger and viewed that as an obstacle to what he wanted to do. He announced that he would work independently in the
video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
industry through an – at the time – unnamed company.


Q Entertainment

That company would be Meguro-based
Q Entertainment was a Japanese video game developer. The studio created, produced, and published digital entertainment content across multiple game consoles, PC broadband and mobile units. It was founded on October 10, 2003 by Tetsuya Mizuguchi, formerly of S ...
(which he co-founded with a core team of ex-Sega veterans) which initially produced two puzzle games for portable, handheld gaming systems: ''
Lumines (pronounced as "Loo-min-ess") is a puzzle video game series developed by Q Entertainment. The core objective of the games is to survive by rotating and aligning 2×2 blocks varying between two colors to form 2×2 squares of a single color whi ...
'' for the
PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PA ...
and ''
Meteos is a 2005 tile-matching video game developed by Q Entertainment and published by Bandai for the Nintendo DS. Nintendo released the game outside Japan. It was produced by Q Entertainment founder Tetsuya Mizuguchi and designed by Masahiro Sakurai. ...
'' for the
Nintendo DS The is a foldable handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens worki ...
. Both games have been released in Japan, North America, and Europe. With Q Entertainment, he later produced '' Lumines Live!'' which was released for the
Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the Xbox (console), original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detail ...
through Microsoft's
Xbox Live Arcade Xbox Live Arcade (or XBLA) was a video game Digital distribution in video games, digital distribution service that was available for the Xbox (console), Xbox and Xbox 360 consoles. It focused on smaller downloadable games from both major publisher ...
service on October 18, 2006. On November 7, 2006, he also produced '' Lumines II'' for PSP, the sequel to the popular original (this time supplementing the original score with heavy integration of music videos), and a shooter/puzzle hybrid game called '' Every Extend Extra'' (a heavily modified 'synesthesia' update to an existing PC freeware title, ''Every Extend,'' by indie developer "Omega"), which was released on August 7, 2006. Later, to coincide with a Microsoft event at
Tokyo Game Show , commonly known as TGS, is a video game trade fair and convention held annually in September in the Makuhari Messe, in Chiba, Japan. It is presented by the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association (CESA) and Nikkei Business Publication ...
in 2005, Mizuguchi announced that Q Entertainment was working on an action game called ''
Ninety-Nine Nights stylized as ''N3: Ninety-Nine Nights'', is a 2006 fantasy hack and slash video game developed for the Xbox 360 by Q Entertainment and Phantagram; video game designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi served as producer for the game. The game features hundred ...
''. A departure from his focus on musical games, ''Ninety-Nine Nights'' was Mizuguchi's attempt through an action game to tell the story of a massive, international conflict as viewed through the eyes of various factions. To facilitate the completion of ''Ninety-Nine Nights,'' he traveled regularly between Japan and South Korea to work with ''Ninety-Nine Nights'' external developer, Phantagram. Mizuguchi also oversaw the development of '' Gunpey'' (for
PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PA ...
and
Nintendo DS The is a foldable handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens worki ...
), an update on the puzzle franchise originally created by
Game Boy The is a handheld game console developed by Nintendo, launched in the Japanese home market on April 21, 1989, followed by North America later that year and other territories from 1990 onwards. Following the success of the Game & Watch single-ga ...
creator
Gunpei Yokoi , sometimes transliterated as Gumpei Yokoi, was a Japanese toy maker and video game designer. As a long-time Nintendo employee, he was best known as creator of the Game & Watch handheld system, inventor of the cross-shaped Control Pad, the ...
's development team, Koto Laboratory. The PSP version was rendered in a very ''Rez'' style, with vector graphics visuals and an electronic music soundtrack, while the DS version was aimed at a younger audience, featuring a more cartoon-like approach. Additionally, around the same time, a new version of '' Every Extend Extra'' was produced by Q Entertainment for
Xbox Live The Xbox network, formerly known and commonly referred to as Xbox Live, is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Gaming for the Xbox brand. It was first made available to the origina ...
called ''
Every Extend Extra Extreme ''Every Extend Extra Extreme'' is a game for the Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade service released on October 17, 2007. It is an expanded version of the PlayStation Portable game ''Every Extend Extra'' which is, in itself, an expanded version of the 20 ...
'', which was released on October 17, 2007. At the 2010
Electronic Entertainment Expo E3 (short for Electronic Entertainment Expo) was an annual Trade fair, trade event for the video game industry organized and presented by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). It was held principally in Los Angeles from 1995 to 2019, wit ...
in Los Angeles, took the stage at the start of game publisher
Ubisoft Ubisoft Entertainment SA (; ; formerly Ubi Soft Entertainment SA) is a French video game publisher headquartered in Saint-Mandé with development studios across the world. Its video game franchises include '' Anno'', '' Assassin's Creed'', ' ...
's annual media event to reveal, to the surprise of the assembled media, the spiritual successor to his game ''Rez,'' called '' Child of Eden''. The game was released in July 2011, one of the marquee games for
Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the Xbox (console), original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detail ...
's
Kinect Kinect is a discontinued line of motion sensing input devices produced by Microsoft and first released in 2010. The devices generally contain RGB color model, RGB cameras, and Thermographic camera, infrared projectors and detectors that map dep ...
motion control system. In late September 2011, ''Child of Eden'' was released for
PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...
, adding high-definition in-game cinemas, and support for motion control via
PlayStation Move is a Motion controller, motion game controller developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Initially released in 2010 for use with the PlayStation 3 home video game console, its compatibility was later expanded to its successor, the PlayStation ...
, as well as
Stereoscopic 3D Stereoscopy, also called stereoscopics or stereo imaging, is a technique for creating or enhancing the illusion of depth in an image by means of stereopsis for binocular vision. The word ''stereoscopy'' derives . Any stereoscopic image is ...
viewing. His company's latest game is '' Lumines Electronic Symphony'', which launched on February 22, 2012, and currently holds an aggregate score of 83 out of 100 with at least 45 out of 50 reviews registering as 'positive.' The game is considered a reboot of the
Lumines (pronounced as "Loo-min-ess") is a puzzle video game series developed by Q Entertainment. The core objective of the games is to survive by rotating and aligning 2×2 blocks varying between two colors to form 2×2 squares of a single color whi ...
series, and the true sequel to the original PSP game. Mizuguchi put an all-new team in charge of the project, with the task of revitalizing the series, and completing the game in time for the
PlayStation Vita The PlayStation Vita (PS Vita) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 17, 2011, then in other international territories on February 22, 2012, and was produced ...
's North American and European launch. Besides designing video games, Mizuguchi has expressed interest in directing music videos. One of the music videos included in ''Lumines II'' for the song Heavenly Star by Genki Rockets was directed by Mizuguchi, who also co-wrote the lyrics of the song. He is known for collaborating with various DJs and music producers for the soundtracks of his games, including Ken Ishii, Tsuyoshi Suzuki, and Mondo Grosso. On July 7, 2007, the character Lumi from Genki Rockets (also the principal character from ''Child of Eden'') opened the
Live Earth Live Earth was an event developed to increase Environmentalism, environmental awareness through entertainment. Background Founded by producer Kevin Wall, in partnership with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore. Live Earth 2007 The 1st series ...
concert in Tokyo in a
holographic Holography is a technique that allows a wavefront to be recorded and later reconstructed. It is best known as a method of generating three-dimensional images, and has a wide range of other uses, including data storage, microscopy, and interfe ...
performance, and introduced a holographic video projection of
Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American former politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. He previously served as ...
. On September 20, 2012, a news article reported that "Tetsuya Mizuguchi has stepped away from games production, for the time being, taking on a more delegatory role within Q Entertainment." Mizuguchi speaks English, and conducts the majority of his interviews with Western media exclusively in English. He is a specially appointed professor teaching at Keio Media Design university.


Enhance, Inc.

In 2014, Mizuguchi left Q Entertainment and founded Enhance, Inc., where he is the
CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...
. He is the only employee of the company. His work under Enhance has included supporting updated versions of ''Rez'' and ''Lumines'' for modern systems. Prior to the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2018, Sony announced ''
Tetris Effect The Tetris effect occurs when someone dedicates vast amounts of time, effort and concentration on an activity which thereby alters their thoughts, dreams, and other experiences not directly linked to said activity. The term originates from the p ...
'', developed by Enhance, to be released in late 2018 for
PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...
and
PlayStation VR The PlayStation VR (PS VR) is a virtual reality headset developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, which was released in October 2016. The headset works with the company's PlayStation 4 video game console and is forward compatible with PlaySta ...
. Mizuguchi had wanted for many years to produce a music-based game around ''Tetris'', but its licensing had been held by
Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by former Apple Inc., Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry ...
, making it difficult to use, which led him to develop ''Lumines'' instead. Around 2012, Mizuguchi began speaking with
Henk Rogers Henk Rogers is a Dutch-born American video game designer and entrepreneur. He is known for producing Japan's first major turn-based role-playing video game '' The Black Onyx'', securing the rights to distribute the Russian puzzle video game ''Tet ...
, the founder of The Tetris Company that now owns the rights to ''Tetris''. Mizuguchi and Rogers spoke to developing a version of ''Tetris'' set to music with a "
zone Zone, Zones or The Zone may refer to: Places Military zones * Zone, any of the divisions of France during the World War II German occupation * Zone, any of the divisions of Germany during the post-World War II Allied occupation * Korean Demilit ...
" that players would achieve while playing, leading to the start of development of the game. ''Tetris Effect'' is inspired by the phenomenon known as the
Tetris effect The Tetris effect occurs when someone dedicates vast amounts of time, effort and concentration on an activity which thereby alters their thoughts, dreams, and other experiences not directly linked to said activity. The term originates from the p ...
, where after playing ''
Tetris ''Tetris'' () is a puzzle video game created in 1985 by Alexey Pajitnov, a Soviet software engineer. In ''Tetris'', falling tetromino shapes must be neatly sorted into a pile; once a horizontal line of the game board is filled in, it disa ...
'' for a long period of time, players would continue to see falling ''Tetris'' blocks for some time after quitting the game, an element related to the zone concept. Mizuguchi said that the goal of the game was "to amplify and enhance that same magical feeling where you just can’t get it out of your head, and not just the falling shapes, but all the visuals, the sounds, the music". The gameplay follows some of the core rules of ''Tetris'' where players try to place tetrominos in a playfield to clear complete lines, incorporating themes and music across thirty different stages with gameplay tied to the beat of the music. A "Zone" mechanic allows players to "stop time", allowing them to clear more than 4 lines at once. The game will include a meta-game leveling system for the player that will lead to new challenges as they progress.


Genki Rockets

In 2006, Mizuguchi pursued his love of technology and electronic music, founding the band Genki Rockets with a consistent group of collaborators, including songwriter and producer Kenji Tamai, as well as singers Rei Yasuda and Nami Miyahara. Mizuguchi would write all of the album's lyrics and contribute melodic ideas to Tamai, who would then work on the tracks in the studio. Described as a 'hybrid unit' by Mizuguchi, the vocals of the two singers were digitally combined to sound like one singer, while Rei represented the visual identity of the 'band.' Not unlike the band
Gorillaz Gorillaz are an English virtual band created by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett in London, England in 1998. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: (vocals, keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (gui ...
, Rei's alter-ego, 'Lumi,' was conceived as a 'virtual idol,' except in this instance, unlike
Hatsune Miku , officially code-named CV01, is a Vocaloid software voicebank developed by Crypton Future Media. Its official mascot is depicted as a sixteen-year-old girl with long, turquoise twintails. Miku's personification has been marketed as a virt ...
, Lumi is based on a real human girl (Lumi would later go on to become a character in Mizuguchi's video game, Child of Eden). Genki Rockets has thus far produced two albums, '' Genki Rockets I: Heavenly Star'' and '' Genki Rockets II: No Border Between Us'', consisting primarily of electronic pop music, sung mostly in English, with occasional Japanese phrases. Tamai's music company Agehasprings describes Genki Rockets as an early
virtual Youtuber A or is an online entertainer who uses a virtual Avatar (computing), avatar generated using computer graphics. Real-time motion capture software or technology are often—but not always—used to capture movement. The digital trend originated i ...
.


Works


References


External links


Tetsuya Mizuguchi's weblog

Tetsuya Mizuguchi's Page on 1UP.comEnhance Inc. Official site"Northern Lights: A Week With Q Entertainment" 1UP.com coverstoryInterview with Tetsuya Mizuguchi about his games and his music-video "Heavenly Star"spacechannel5.org – A Space Channel 5 Fansite
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mizuguchi, Tetsuya 1965 births Japanese video game designers Japanese male bloggers Living people People from Otaru Japanese video game producers Sega people Japanese video game businesspeople