Kenji Eno facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kenji Eno
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Kenji Eno in 2007
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| Born | May 5, 1970 Arakawa, Tokyo, Japan
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| Died | February 20, 2013 (aged 42) |
| Occupation | Composer Game designer |
| Known for | D · D2 Enemy Zero Real Sound |
Kenji Eno (飯野賢治,Japanese pronunciation: [iꜜːno̞ ke̞ꜜɲd͡ʑi], Iino Kenji, May 5, 1970 – February 20, 2013) was a Japanese musician and video game designer. He was known for making unique and sometimes unusual games in the 1990s. He also became famous for his bold marketing ideas. Outside of Japan, he was best known for his survival horror games, D and Enemy Zero.
Besides making video games, Eno was also a talented electronic musician. He created the music for many of his own games. Eno started several video game companies, including EIM, Warp, and From Yellow to Orange. He also worked in other areas like cars, cell phones, and hotels. Kenji Eno passed away on February 20, 2013, at the age of 42, due to heart problems.
Contents
Kenji Eno's Career in Games and Music
Early Life and First Steps
Kenji Eno was interested in video games and music from a young age. He spent a lot of time learning about programming and recording sounds. One of his first games, Towadoko Murder Case, even won an award in a local game competition.
Eno's first job in the game industry was at a new company called Interlink. This company had a small hit game in 1989. At Interlink, Eno had some say in his projects. He helped plan a game for the Ultra Series.
Starting His Own Companies
Eno wanted more control over the games he made. So, in 1989, he used his savings to start his own company, EIM, Ltd. (有限会社EIM, Yuugen Gaisha EIM). EIM mainly focused on making sequels and spin-off games for other companies.
Even though he could choose projects, Eno still felt limited. He wanted to create his own original ideas. Because of this, he closed EIM in 1992. After that, he worked as a consultant for a car company for a while.
Warp: Making Unique Games
In 1994, Eno became excited about games again after visiting some expos. He then started a new company called Warp. He worked with a small team of talented people there. Some of them, like Fumito Ueda (who made Ico), later became very famous.
Warp made many games for different systems. Their main focus was on games for the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer. Under Eno's leadership, Warp's games were known for being very unusual and creative.
Eno became known for his bold actions during his time at Warp. In 1996, he made a big statement at a press conference. He showed a video that suggested Warp's new game, Enemy Zero, would only be for the Sega Saturn, not the PlayStation. This surprised many people. At another event, he even threw a doll of a rival company's mascot. Warp's last four games were made only for Sega.
Warp closed down around 2000. This was partly because the 3DO console didn't sell well. Also, their other games didn't always sell a lot of copies.
From Warp to From Yellow to Orange
After Warp, the company was renamed Superwarp. Superwarp focused on things like DVDs, online services, and internet music. Eno worked on many different projects during this time. He helped with things like cell phone services and designing a hotel. He also started writing a blog.
Superwarp closed in 2005. Eno said this was his way of moving on from his past work with games.
In 2001, Eno started another company called From Yellow to Orange (often called fyto). He led this company until he passed away. In 2006, Eno announced that fyto was making a new game. He hinted that it would be for Nintendo's Wii console.
On March 23, 2009, Nintendo released the new game. It was called Kimi to Boku to Rittai (きみとぼくと立体, You and Me and the Cubes). Players could download it on the Wii's online service.
In 2008, Kenji Eno also worked with Kenichi Nishi on a game called Newtonica. Eno wrote the music for this game, which was made for the iPhone and iPod Touch.
Music and Sound Design
Kenji Eno's music is not as well-known outside of Japan as his games. However, his music was quite popular in his home country. Eno released several music albums on his own. He also worked with other musicians, like The Cinematic Orchestra.
Eno composed music for many of his games. This includes the music for Juuouki, Casino Kid 2, and Sunman. He also created the spooky music for his famous games D and D2. His last known music work was for the game Newtonica.
Games He Created
Here are some of the games Kenji Eno worked on:
Independently Produced
- Towadako Murder Case (十和田湖殺人事件, Towadako Satsujin Jiken)
Games with Interlink
- Juuouki (Famicom, 1990) - Sound Creator
- SD Hero Soukessen: Taose! Aku no Gundan (Famicom, 1990) - Supervisor, Musician
- Ultraman Club 2: Kaettekita Ultraman Club (ウルトラマン倶楽部2 帰ってきたウルトラマン倶楽部) (Famicom, 1990) - Planner
Games with EIM, Ltd.
- Parallel World (NES, 1990)
- Time Zone (たいむゾーン) (Famicom, 1991) - Concept
- Casino Kid 2 (NES, 1992) - Sound Programmer, Music Composer
- Panic Restaurant (わんぱくコックンのグルメワールド, Wanpaku Kokkun no Gourmet World) (NES, 1992) - Concept, Supervisor, Music Composer
- Kyouryuu Densetsu (Famicom, unreleased)
- Superman/Sunman (NES, unreleased) - Planner, Director
Games with WARP, Inc.
- Totsugeki Kikan (Karakuri) Megadasu!! (突撃機関メガダす!! "Attack Engine Mega!!") (3DO, 1994)
- Flupon: Space Biology (宇宙生物フロポン君, Uchuu Seibutsu Furopon Kun) (3DO, 1994)
- D (Dの食卓, D no Shokutaku "D's Dinning Table") (Sega Saturn/3DO, 1995)
- D: Complete Graphics version (Dの食卓 コンプリートグラフィックス) (PS1, 1995)
- D: Director's Cut version (Dの食卓 ディレクターズカット) (3DO, 1996)
- Flupon: Space Biology P! (宇宙生物フロポン君P!, Uchuu Seibutsu Furopon Kun P!) (PS1, 1995)
- Oyaji Hunter Mahjong (3DO, 1995)
- Trip'd (フロポンワールド, Furopon Warudo, also Flupon World) (3DO/PS1, 1995)
- Short Warp (ショートワープ) (3DO, 1996)
- Enemy Zero (エネミー・ゼロ) (Sega Saturn, 1996; PC, 1998)
- Real Sound: Kaze no Regret (リアルサウンド 〜風のリグレット〜 "Real Sound: The Winds of Regret") (Sega Saturn, 1997; Dreamcast, 1999)
- Sega Rally 2 (セガラリー 2) (Dreamcast, 1998) - Musician
- D2 (Dの食卓2, D no Shokutaku 2 "D's Dinning Table 2") (Dreamcast, 1999)
Games with From Yellow to Orange
- You, Me, and the Cubes (きみとぼくと立体, Kimi to Boku to Rittai) (Wii, 2009)
Other Game Projects
- newtonica (iPhone/iPod Touch, 2008) (Fieldsystem, Inc.) - Music Composer
- newtonica 2 (iPhone/iPod Touch, 2008) (Fieldsystem, Inc.)
- newtonica 2 resort (iPhone/iPod Touch, 2009) (Fieldsystem, Inc.)
- One-Dot Enemies (iPhone, 2009) (Studio-Kura) - Designer
Books He Wrote
Kenji Eno also wrote several books, sharing his thoughts and experiences:
- Games Super 27 Years Life (ゲーム Super 27 Years Life) (1997)
- Super hit game studies (スーパーヒットゲーム学) (1998, conversations with other game developers)
- Warp Company Profile (ワープ会社案内) (1998)
- 2003 Kenji Eno Dialogue Collection (2003 飯野賢治対談集) (1999)
- The book of Kenji Eno (飯野賢治の本) (1999)
- The Red Book Rain Waltz RE (レッドブック ワルツの雨 RE) (2006, with Ryusui Seiryoin)
- Dear Son, (息子へ) (2011)
His Legacy
Kenji Eno's life was greatly affected when his mother left during his elementary school years. He left high school at 17 and soon started working in the video game industry. He loved arcade games like Space Invaders and Pac-Man, which inspired him to become a game designer.
He got married while making the game D. At first, he wasn't sure if he could afford to have children. But after D became a big success, he felt he could. Eno also said that the electronic music group Yellow Magic Orchestra influenced his work. His best friend was Kazutoshi Iida, who created games like Aquanaut's Holiday.
Kenji Eno passed away on February 20, 2013, from heart failure. He was 42 years old. He left behind a legacy of unique games and music that showed his creative spirit.
