Masayoshi Yokoyama( hoành sơn xương nghĩaYokoyama Masayoshi,born June 30, 1976) is a Japanesegame producer,directorand writer forSega,most specificallyRyu Ga Gotoku Studio,a studio within Sega Development Div. 1, where he's been the head of the division and studio since 2021. He is mainly known for his work on theYakuzaseries, where he has been working since the very beginning as a writer, and later on as a producer.[1][2][3]
Masayoshi Yokoyama | |
|---|---|
Hoành sơn xương nghĩa | |
| Born | June 30, 1976 Kanagawa Prefecture,Japan |
| Alma mater | Tokai University |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Employer | Sega |
| Notable work | Jet Set Radio Like a Dragon |
| Title | Head ofRyu Ga Gotoku Studio |
Career
editYokoyama studied advertising and marketing and applied to various jobs as a planner, not knowing what it really meant. He was open to entering any industry as a planner, be it a wedding planner or financial planner. He then realized that the games industry, specifically in Japan, also had planner positions. In the end, he chose Sega because it seemed the most interesting to him, due to being asked very different questions during the interview process than other companies at the time. Due to his father managing a toy store, he knew the name Sega and was surrounded by games, but was actually more of the athletic type, and never thought he would join the game industry.[4]
His first title since joining the workforce wasJet Set Radiowhere he did "menial tasks" and "everything he could" such as level design, voice recordings and enemy placement. His level design work was influenced byExcitebikeon the NES. Later on, he became a key developer for theYakuzafranchise. He once again did multiple jobs, including writing, sound and stage direction and, sinceYakuza 5,also producing. For theLike a Dragonseries, the greatest influence isOishinbo,since he has read that manga over and over again since childhood. Working on theYakuzaseries gave him pride as a creator, as before, he has worked on games that some people thought were interesting but did not do great business wise.[5][6]
In October 2021, afterYakuzaseries creatorToshihiro Nagoshileft Sega and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio to joinNetEaseand establish his own studio, Yokoyama took over and became the new head of Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio after over a decade working in the series and studio.[7]
Writing style
editReflecting on his younger days, he always enjoyed bombastic scenes that left an impact. One of his favourite films isA Better Tomorrow,where he was particularly impressed by its opening and cool scenes. During a school assignment to make a puppet show for a festival, he actually lit things on fire, which upset the school but made the audience really excited, he says he still creates things the same way today. To him, the ending is not the most important part, he does not plan the final culprit for each game until the very end, with a focus on who would be most fun to fight for a final boss. His inspirations are not novels, but various TV shows and movies. To construct the plot, he draws up a character correlation chart similar to aJ-Drama.This stopped withYakuza 5.Yakuza 4was the first game where he wrote multiple protagonists, and he enjoyed pulling inspirations such asRyo SaebafromCity Hunterfor Shun Akiyama and screenwriterKankuro Kudofor Taiga Saejima. To a certain degree, he feels that theLike a Dragonseries is a fantasy world with realism that allows for debates, such as ifKazuma Kiryuis still a virgin or not. Yokoyama probably thinks that he is, and he is sure that cases can be made against this opinion. According to him, one of the qualities ofLike a Dragonis allowing for silly discussions like this. As he got promoted to producer, he was allowed for theming of each game to be consistent in marketing, main story and substories, such as was the case forYakuza 0,where the main themes he came up with were: "women, violence, money". Yokoyama has received praise for his work, particularly during fan events, he received ten times as much criticism online. But he is grateful that fans play all the way to the end, and it inspires him to do better.[8]
Works
edit| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Jet Set Radio | Senior planner |
| 2001 | De La Jet Set Radio | |
| 2002 | Jet Set Radio Future | Chief planner |
| 2004 | Ollie King | Director |
| 2005 | Yakuza | Scenario, production |
| 2006 | Sonic Riders | Development support |
| Yakuza 2 | Script, scenario/storyline | |
| 2008 | Ryū ga Gotoku Kenzan! | Original concept, planning, script |
| 2009 | Yakuza 3 | Script, sound, continuity |
| 2010 | Yakuza 4 | Script |
| 2012 | Yakuza 5 | Producer, scriptwriter and direction |
| 2014 | Like a Dragon: Ishin! | Producer, storyboard, scriptwriter |
| 2015 | Yakuza 0 | Chief producer, storyboard, scriptwriter |
| 2016 | Yakuza Kiwami | |
| Yakuza 6: The Song of Life | Chief producer, scriptwriter, series planner | |
| 2017 | Yakuza Kiwami 2 | Chief producer, storyboard, scriptwriter |
| 2018 | Ryu Ga Gotoku Online | Scenario director |
| Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise | Chief producer, storyboard, scriptwriter | |
| 2020 | Yakuza: Like a Dragon | |
| 2021 | Lost Judgment | Production cooperation |
| 2023 | Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name | Executive director, story, overall scene direction |
| 2024 | Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth | Executive director, original story and total direction |
| Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble | Executive management |
References
edit- ^"サカつく6｜ chu thức hội xã セガ".www.sakatsuku.com.Retrieved2023-11-17.
- ^"Đệ 1 sự nghiệp bộ インタビュー".Thải dụng サイト｜ chu thức hội xã セガ -【SEGA CORPORATION】(in Japanese).Retrieved2023-11-17.
- ^"The Future Of Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio – Game Informer".Game Informer.2023-01-04. Archived fromthe originalon 2023-01-04.Retrieved2023-11-17.
- ^"Cực thượng のエンターテインメント tác phẩm 『 long が như く』シリーズを thủ がけるセガゲームス コンシューマ・オンラインカンパニーを phóng vấn 【ファミキャリ! Hội xã tham phóng (27)】".ゲーム nghiệp giới の転 chức ・ cầu nhân tình báo ならファミキャリ! ｜クリーク･アンド･リバー xã ｜ファミ thông.com hiệp lực(in Japanese).Retrieved2023-11-17.
- ^"FFT: Ryu Encyclopaedia".fftranslations.atspace.co.uk.Retrieved2023-11-17.
- ^"FFT: Destiny of a Dragon".fftranslations.atspace.co.uk.Retrieved2023-11-17.
- ^"Cực thượng のエンターテインメント tác phẩm 『 long が như く』シリーズを thủ がけるセガゲームス コンシューマ・オンラインカンパニーを phóng vấn 【ファミキャリ! Hội xã tham phóng (27)】".ゲーム nghiệp giới の転 chức ・ cầu nhân tình báo ならファミキャリ! ｜クリーク･アンド･リバー xã ｜ファミ thông.com hiệp lực(in Japanese).Retrieved2023-11-17.
- ^『 long が như く』シリーズ10 chu niên ký niệm bổn long đại toàn.Kadokawa. 21 January 2016. pp.24–29.ISBN978-4-04-733109-9.
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