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Square Enix adds Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth director and Octopath Traveler producer to executive staff

Over a month after Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's release, Square Enix is making some additions to the ranks of its executive staff.

Justin Carter, Contributing Editor

April 2, 2024

1 Min Read
Shinra's army in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.
Image via Square Enix.

At a Glance

  • Both Naoki Hamaguchi and Tomoya Asano have worked at Square Enix for 20+ years before becoming executive officers.

Square Enix has added five new members to its executive officer ranks that help dictate the company's direction and the games it makes.

Among those inducted are Naoki Hamaguchi, who directed Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Tomoya Asano, producer on the Octopath Traveler games, was also promoted.

Rounding out the inductees are Diofield Chronicle producer Takamasa Shiba, Foamstars general manager Takeshi Nozue, and Takayuki Hamada.

Hamaguchi was previously highlighted for his first time as a solo director for Rebirth. Since working on VFX for Final Fantasy XII, he's brushed shoulders with much of the franchise's key staff, including Yoshinori Kitase and Tetsuya Nomura.

With Nomura having chosen to serve as creative director on the remake trilogy, Hamaguchi has taken the reigns on both Rebirth and its eventual follow-up.

Asano has similarly had a sizable tenure at Square Enix. Through Team Asano, he's produced and concepted some of the developer's modest hits like the Bravely games, Triangle Strategy, and 2022's Live A Live remake.

Square Enix leadership

The full list of executives officers (as spotted by Gematsu) can be seen below, with the newest members bolded and underlined.

  • Takashi Kiryu

  • Tomoya Asano

  • Tomoyoshi Osaki

  • Tsuneto Okuno

  • Yoshinori Kitase

  • Yosuke Saito

  • Ryutaro Sasaki

  • Hideaki Sato

  • Takamasa Shiba

  • Hajime Seki

  • Takeshi Nozue

  • Naoki Hamaguchi

  • Takayuki Hamada

  • Kei Hirono

  • Katsuyoshi Matsuura

  • Atsushi Matsuda

  • Yuu Miyake

  • Naoki Yoshida

About the Author(s)

Justin Carter

Contributing Editor, GameDeveloper.com

A Kansas City, MO native, Justin Carter has written for numerous sites including IGN, Polygon, and SyFy Wire. In addition to Game Developer, his writing can be found at io9 over on Gizmodo. Don't ask him about how much gum he's had, because the answer will be more than he's willing to admit.

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