Yoshitaka Murayama, Creator Of Suikoden And Eiyuden Chronicle, Has Passed Away

Yoshitaka Murayama, the creator of Konami's fan-favorite RPG series Suikoden and the head of Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes studio Rabbit & Bear Studios, has passed away on Feburary 6 at the age of 54.

His passing was announced via a statement on the official Rabbit & Bear website, which confirmed that his death was caused by "an ongoing illness." He served as the scenario writer for Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, a game his studio funded via a successful Kickstarter in 2020.

"His hard work on Eiyuden Chronicle as scenario writer was finished," the statement reads, "but as his co-workers and friends, it saddens us to know that he won’t get to see the reactions from his fans." The statement also says the team "want[s] to maintain his legacy and vision with this game and know that he would have wanted the rich world he has created with Eiyuden Chronicle to live on."

Murayama began his career in the games industry in 1992, when he joined Konami as a QA tester. He eventually worked his way to producer, writer, and director of the first three Suikoden games, as well as two spin-offs. After leaving Konami in June 2002, he worked on 10,000 Bullets for Taito--which only launched in Japan and the EU--and The Alliance Alive for Atlus.

Murayama's final game, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, launches April 21 for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC. The GameSpot team sends its heartfelt condolences to Murayama's family and friends for their loss.