Square Enix producer Shinji Hashimoto retires

Shinji Hashimoto has retired from his position at Square Enix after 28 years, he announced.

“Thank you for all your hard work, everyone,” Hashimoto said in a tweet. “As of today, May 31, I have retired. Thank you to everyone who everyone who helped me out across the board during my time in office. From now on, I would like to give Square Enix my support as its biggest fan. Thank you so much.”

Hashimoto joined Square Soft in April 1994, where his first role was to co-produce the original Front Mission for Super Famicom. He was the brand manager of the Final Fantasy series for over a decade, executive producer of the Kingdom Hearts series, and also served as an executive officer of Square Enix Holdings.

Here is an illustration by Square Enix character designer Toshiyuki Itahana celebrating Hashimoto’s time at the company:

橋本さん、おつかれさまでした！@shinjihashimot3 pic.twitter.com/eSX8vLoKks

— 板鼻利幸 Toshiyuki Itahana (@ItahanaT) May 31, 2022

Read more about Hashimoto’s works on MobyGames.

Update 12:57 p.m.: Here is a video message from Hashimoto on his retirement:

Shinji Hashimoto retires from Square Enix today and we're very lucky to have received a video message from him.

Thank you for everything, @shinjihashimot3! 🎉 pic.twitter.com/LHowKYfgqX

— Square Enix (@SquareEnix) May 31, 2022