Toshiyuki Takahashi leaves Hudson Soft

Toshiyuki Takahashi has been the mascot of sorts for the Japanese publisher Hudson Soft thanks to his appearance as Master Higgins (Takahashi Meijin in Japan) in the Adventure Island series. Now, Master Higgins will no longer be at Hudson, with Takahashi announcing on his blog (translated by Andriasang) that he will be leaving the company on May 31.

Takahashi did not state the reasons for his departure on his blog, nor did he indicate what he will be doing next. Another recent post on Andriasang.com said that Takahashi and Japanese gravure idol Haruna Anno would be starting a new venture together. The specifics of this joint venture have yet to be revealed, though the post has stated that Anno was a fan of Takahashi and retro games.

Takahashi joined Hudson Soft on August 21, 1982, with his first major appearance as the company's spokesperson in March 1985. He was renowned for his fast trigger finger speed of 16 shots per second in Star Soldier and Star Force in the '80s, as well as starring in the Adventure Island series.