Junichi Masuda facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Junichi Masuda
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| 増田 順一 | |
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Masuda in 2011
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| Born | January 12, 1968 |
| Alma mater | Japan Electronics College |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1989–present |
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| Musical career | |
| Genres | Video game music |
| Instruments | Piano, trombone |
Junichi Masuda (増田 順一, Masuda Jun'ichi, born January 12, 1968) is a Japanese video game creator. He is famous for his work on the Pokémon series. Masuda has been a composer, director, designer, and producer for the games.
He was one of the founding members of the company Game Freak along with Satoshi Tajiri and Ken Sugimori. In 2022, Masuda joined The Pokémon Company as its Chief Creative Fellow. This means he helps guide the creative ideas for the entire Pokémon brand.
Masuda started out making music for the games. Later, he began to direct and produce them, starting with Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. He helped decide which new Pokémon designs would be in the games. He always tried to make the games easy for new players to enjoy, while also adding new challenges. He is a big fan of handheld game consoles and classic 2D art styles.
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Early Life and Inspiration
Junichi Masuda was born on January 12, 1968, in Yokohama, Japan. When he was a kid, his family often took trips to a region called Kyūshū. There, he loved to spend his time catching fish and bugs. This experience later inspired him to create the Hoenn region in the Pokémon games.
In high school, Masuda played the trombone in a band. He also discovered classical music and was inspired by composers like Igor Stravinsky and Dmitri Shostakovich.
After high school, Masuda went to the Japan Electronics College. He studied computer graphics and programming. This gave him the skills he needed to start making video games.
Career at Game Freak
Masuda joined Game Freak in 1989, the year it was started. He has worked on almost every game the company has made. He was one of the first people to work on the Pokémon series, beginning with Pokémon Red and Green.
Creating the World of Pokémon
At first, Masuda's main job was to compose music and create sound effects for the games. His first game at Game Freak was a puzzle game called Mendel Palace. He also worked on Yoshi, which was the company's first game with Nintendo.
For the first Pokémon games, Masuda wrote the program that played all the music and sounds. As the series became more popular, he took on bigger roles. He started directing and producing the games. He also helped name and design many Pokémon. He said one of the hardest parts was making sure a Pokémon's name and design would be liked by people all over the world.
A Close Call in Development
Masuda once shared a scary story from the early days of making Pokémon. He said that the game's data was almost completely lost when a computer crashed. "We were developing the game on these... powerful computers," he explained, "and they crashed quite a bit." He called it the most "nerve-racking moment" of his career. Luckily, they were able to save the game.
Passing the Torch
After directing many games, Masuda decided to let others take the lead. He said that Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! would likely be the last main series games he would direct. He passed the role to Shigeru Ohmori, who directed Pokémon Sun and Moon. However, Masuda did return to direct Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.
On June 1, 2022, Masuda left Game Freak to take on a new role at The Pokémon Company. As Chief Creative Fellow, he helps shape the future of all things Pokémon.
Game Design and Music Style
Masuda believes that anyone should be able to pick up a Pokémon game and start playing. He designs his games to be easy at the beginning. Then, as players get better, the games introduce more complex and challenging ideas.
He also thinks handheld game systems are special. He feels they let people connect and play together in a way that home consoles can't. He has said that keeping the classic 2D look was a key part of Pokémon's success for a long time.
Masuda's music is inspired by many things, especially classical music. He also loves techno music. He looked at the music from the Super Mario series as a great example of video game music. When creating new Pokémon, he gets ideas from looking at the world around him. He tries not to copy old characters, but to make each new one unique.
Key Games by Junichi Masuda
Masuda has worked on dozens of games. Here are some of the most famous ones and what he did for them:
- Pokémon Red, Green and Blue (1996) - He created the music and sound effects, and also did some programming.
- Pokémon Gold and Silver (1999) - He was the sub director and also worked on game design, music, and sound.
- Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire (2002) - This was his first time as the main director. He also designed the game and composed the battle music.
- Pokémon Diamond and Pearl (2006) - He was the director and also wrote the story and composed battle music.
- Pokémon Black and White (2010) - He was the director and producer, and also created the world, story, and battle music.
- Pokémon X and Y (2013) - He returned as director and producer for the series' first 3D-style game on a handheld.
- Pokémon Go (2016) - He helped compose the music for the popular mobile game.
- Pokémon Sun and Moon (2016) - He was the producer and composed battle music.
- Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! (2018) - He was the director for these games on the Nintendo Switch.
- Pokémon Sword and Shield (2019) - He served as the producer.
- Pokémon Legends: Arceus (2022) - He was a supervisor, helping to guide the project.
- Pokémon Scarlet and Violet (2022) - He was a supervisor and also worked on the music.
See also
In Spanish: Junichi Masuda para niños
