Dragon Quest series producer Ryutaro Ichimura leaves Square Enix
Ryutaro Ichimura, known as a chief producer or producer on the Dragon Quest series, and most recently Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest - The Adventure of Dai, has left Square Enix. Via his personal Twitter account, he announced that he had left the publisher as of March 31, 2023.
Ichimura served as producer for games like Dragon Quest VIII and Dragon Quest IX, as well as related projects like the Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai anime series. Beyond Dragon Quest, he also worked on the Gyrozetter multimedia franchise.
Here's the tweet below.
突然の報告になりますが、3/31をもちまして、スクウェア・エニックスを退職致しました。
— 市村 龍太郎 (@RyutaroIchimura) March 31, 2023
色々な思いもあって長くなるので、添付のメモをご覧いただければと思います。
一緒に仕事してくれた たくさんのスタッフのみんな、そしてユーザーのみなさま、本当にありがとうございました！#スクエニ #卒業 pic.twitter.com/OQEthv83UC
In his message, which is written over four images, Ichimura reflects on the 22 years he spent working at Enix, then Square Enix, and thanks all the users who played the games he worked on. It is thanks to them, he said, that he was able to make it so far. He mentioned that he once found a copy of the resume he had applied to join Enix with. He said that the reason he had written down for wanting to join the company was "Because I love Dragon Quest."
He also said that he turns 47 years old this year, and must think carefully about each game he makes, given the time it takes to make them. "So as not to die without regret," he said, he chose to leave Square Enix to explore an environment with more freedom to take risks, see new ideas to fruition, and enjoy himself more.