Shenmue creator steps down at Sega
Yu Suzuki, designer behind OutRun, Virtua Fighter, and more, has vacated position of R&D creative officer; will stay with company in diminished capacity.
By 2003, Sega designer Yu Suzuki had already left a mark on the gaming industry worthy of induction into the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame. Best known as the creator of the Virtua Fighter and Shenmue series, Suzuki was until that point a prodigiously successful developer, responsible for many of Sega's biggest franchises.

Since the time of that AIAS honor, the designer has been out of the industry limelight, most recently appearing to promote Shenmue Online, the now-shelved massively multiplayer online role-playing game counterpart to his series of adventure games. So low was his profile that last year, Sega of America CEO Simon Jeffrey mistakenly told Gamasutra that Suzuki was no longer an employee of Sega at all.
Suzuki's retreat from the gaming world is apparently continuing, given that this week Sega parent company Sega Sammy announced that the designer has stepped down--the publisher used the word "retired"--from his position as a R&D creative officer with the company. However, he isn't departing Sega entirely.
A Sega of America representative confirmed for GameSpot that Suzuki will stay on with the publisher in a diminished capacity, continuing on as manager of the R&D department for Sega's AM Plus division. To date, AM Plus has released a pair of Japanese arcade games, the touch-screen fighter Psy Phi and the character-driven racer Sega Race TV.

The early part of Suzuki's career was marked by a succession of arcade classics including Space Harrier, Afterburner, and OutRun. However, the developer grew more experimental in later years, devoting time to projects such as the Ferrari F355 Challenge arcade game. The monstrous machine was eye-catching, with three screens to provide players with better peripheral vision, but its laser-like focus on simulating driving a single model of car in painstaking detail limited its mass appeal.
Then there was the wildly ambitious Shenmue series. Although it attracted a hardcore fan base, the first two Shenmue installments were not commercially successful, and a planned third game in the series never materialized. Although it has been more than six years since the North American release of Shenmue II, rumors of a new third game in the series pop up from time to time.
For more on the creator's work, check out GameSpot's 2002 video review of Shenmue II for the Xbox:
I Heart Resident Evil 4 (ft. The Sphere Hunter, Residence of Evil, and More!) GTA 6 DLC Plan Sounds Great… If It's True Warzone 2 Release Date May Have Leaked | GameSpot News Embracer Is Buying Everything | After Dark Ep 158 She-Hulk Boss on That Daredevil Cameo and More MCU Crossovers 3 Reasons RPG Fans MUST Play Soul Hackers 2 Genesis Mini 2 | Full Game List Madden 23 Launch Trailer DEATH STRANDING - PC Game Pass Announcement Trailer Jetpack Joyride 2 | Official Apple Arcade Trailer Rainbow Six Siege: Operation Brutal Swarm CGI Trailer Champions 2022 Skin Reveal Trailer | VALORANT Champions 2022
Please enter your date of birth to view this video
By clicking 'enter', you agree to GameSpot's
Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors. GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.
Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com
Join the conversation