Fumito Ueda

{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2024}}{{Infobox person

| name = Fumito Ueda

| image = FumitoUedaE32016 (cropped).jpg

| caption = Ueda in 2016

| native_name = 上田文人

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1970|4|19}}

| birth_place = Tatsuno, Hyōgo, Japan

| occupation = Game director, screenwriter, game designer

| years_active = 1996–present

| notable_works = {{ubl|Ico|Shadow of the Colossus|The Last Guardian}}

}}

{{nihongo|Fumito Ueda|上田文人|Ueda Fumito| born April 19, 1970}} is a Japanese video game designer, game director and visual artist. Ueda is best known as the director and lead designer of Ico (2001) and Shadow of the Colossus (2005) while leading Team Ico at Japan Studio, and The Last Guardian (2016) through his own development company GenDesign. His games have achieved cult status and are distinguished by their usage of minimal plot and scenario using fictional languages, and use of overexposed, desaturated light. He has been described by some as an auteur of video games.

Early life

File:Fumito Ueda, Gamelab 2017 (34767992324).jpg

Born on April 19, 1970, in Tatsuno, Ueda graduated from the Osaka University of Arts in 1993. In 1995, after trying to make a living as a visual artist, Ueda decided to pursue a career in the video game industry. He joined the developer Warp and worked as an animator on the game Enemy Zero for the Sega Saturn under the director Kenji Eno. He described his time there as "arduous",{{cite web|url=http://www.tigmagazine.com/gff07.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081017100153/http://www.tigmagazine.com/gff07.html|title=Fumito Ueda at Game For Future 2007|date=2007|archive-date=October 17, 2008}} as the game was behind schedule and everyone on the project had to work more than normal to meet the release deadline. Eno, who also owned the company, did not think he was that great a digital artist, but handpicked Ueda because of his talent with concepts and design.{{citation| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103161444/http://www.1up.com/features/kenji-eno-breaks-silence?pager.offset=6|archive-date = 3 November 2012| title = Japan's Wayward Son [transcript reprinted from Electronic Gaming Monthly (Sep 2008)]| work = www.1up.com| url= http://www.1up.com/features/kenji-eno-breaks-silence| first1 =Shane| last1 = Bettenhausen| first2 = James| last2 = Mielke| page=7 of 10 | quote = 1UP: One of your animators on Enemy Zero was a young guy named Fumito Ueda, who most people know as being the creator of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus. Did you see his potential, you know, for the future when you worked with him on Enemy Zero? KE: At the very beginning, he didn't pass the application process at Warp. But I still remember the work that he submitted; it was about a dog running in the rain. His technology as an animator, as a CG artist, wasn't that great, but his ideas and his concepts really struck me, so even though he originally wasn't on the hiring list, I handpicked him because I saw his potential. Not potential as a graphic artist, but his design and concepts struck me, so that's why I picked him out. However, people ask me a lot about Ueda, but he didn't stay at Warp for a long time. It's not like I groomed him or anything; he already had the talent when he came to work, and he's a talented person, so he went to whatever future he was supposed to go to. That's how I see Ueda.}} Ueda worked at WARP for a year and a half.{{citation|author =上田文人 (@fumito_ueda) | author-link = Fumito Ueda | work = twitter.com| number = 304575060109303809 | url = https://twitter.com/fumito_ueda/status/304575060109303809 | title = 僕が初めてビデオゲームの世界に入ったのが飯野賢治さん率いる(株)WARPという会社でした。1年半ほどの短い時間でしたがそこで濃密な時間を過ごさせてもらったことが今の自分に繋がってると思います。ちゃんとお礼を伝えられなかったのが悔やまれます。心からご冥福をお祈り申し上げます。 | trans-title = My first experience in the world of video games was at a company WARP, led by Kenji Iino. It was a short time of about one and a half years ... | date =21 Feb 2013 | language = ja}}

Career

= Sony Computer Entertainment =

In 1997, Ueda joined Sony Computer Entertainment Japan. He began work on Ico, being granted his own unit as the studio had little experience in developing games on their own (mostly the Ape Escape series) due to their focus on assisting third-party developers. After Ico, Ueda and his small team started work on Shadow of the Colossus.

In February 2007, Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu reported that Ueda and his team were working on a game for the PlayStation 3. No details about the unnamed title were revealed. In 2008, in the August edition of PlayStation Magazine, Sony Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida commented that both Ico and Shadow of the Colossus took 4 years to develop as a hint that the game was under production, but was not close to release.{{Cite web|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=204425|title=Sony boss praises Ico team's new game|first=Ellie|last=Gibson|website=Eurogamer|date=August 4, 2008|access-date=August 25, 2017|archive-date=December 11, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081211172402/http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=204425|url-status=dead}} The game was revealed at E3 2009 as The Last Guardian, the trailer for which suggests a saga involving elements of both Ico and Shadow of the Colossus wherein a young boy resembling Ico partners up with a colossus-sized companion to complete puzzles.{{cite web|title=From Ico to The Last Guardian (Page 2 Of 2)|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2009/07/03/from-ico-to-the-last-guardian?page=2 |date=July 3, 2009|access-date=August 25, 2017|website=IGN}} Ueda later confirmed The Last Guardian to be related to the two previous installments.{{cite web|url=http://www.jeuxvideo.com/news/2009/00037421-the-last-guardian-sera-bien-lie-a-ico-et-shadow-of-the-colossus.htm|title=The Last Guardian sera bien lié à Ico et Shadow of the Colossus|date=24 September 2009|language=fr|access-date=24 May 2013}}

In an interview with G4tv.com in 2009 he expressed admiration for the method of cut-scene story-telling in Valve's Half-Life 2, and when questioned directly expressed an interest in making a first person game.{{citation| url=https://www.destructoid.com/ueda-wants-to-make-an-fps-loves-half-life-2-150814.phtml|title=Ueda wants to make an FPS, loves Half-Life 2| date=3 Oct 2009| first=Matthew |last=Razak| work = www.destructoid.com}}{{citation| url=http://g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/699720/Fumito-Uedas-A-Big-Half-Life-2-Fan-Interested-In-Making-A-First-Person-Game.html| title = Fumito Ueda's A Big Half-Life 2 Fan Interested In Making A First Person Game|work = g4tv.com| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091007074531/http://g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/699720/Fumito-Uedas-A-Big-Half-Life-2-Fan-Interested-In-Making-A-First-Person-Game.html| quote = [via a Translator] ".. the way they [Half-Life 2 developer Valve] implemented constraints was something different that I enjoyed, compared to other games." [...] Q. Given his appreciation for Valve's brand of storytelling and appreciation of what's possible from that vantage point, does that mean he'd consider making a move into the first-person in the future? "I have an interest in making first-person games," he said. | archive-date = 7 October 2009}}

= GenDesign =

File:GenDESIGN Logo.png

Ueda left Sony in December 2011, although he remained under contract to finish work on The Last Guardian.{{Cite web|url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/39100/Confirmed_Ico_Creator_Fumito_Ueda_Leaves_Sony.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111214011234/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/39100/Confirmed_Ico_Creator_Fumito_Ueda_Leaves_Sony.php|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 14, 2011|title=Confirmed: Ico Creator Fumito Ueda Leaves Sony|first=Tom|last=Curtis|website=Gamasutra|access-date=August 25, 2017 |date=December 12, 2011}} Around mid-2014, he formed GenDesign (stylized as genDESIGN), made up of former members from Team Ico to help complete development of The Last Guardian.{{cite web | url= https://www.ign.com/articles/2015/06/17/fumito-ueda-formed-a-new-studio-with-icoshadow-devs | title = Fumito Ueda Formed a New Studio With Ico/Shadow Devs | first = Wesley | last = Copeland | date = June 17, 2015 | access-date = March 26, 2020 | work = IGN }} At E3 2015, The Last Guardian was announced for release on October 25, 2016, but was later delayed to December 6, 2016.{{Cite web | url = https://www.theverge.com/2016/6/13/11915720/the-last-guardian-release-date-announced-trailer-sony-playstation-e3-2016| title =The Last Guardian is coming to PlayStation 4 on October 25th | first = Dieter | last = Bohn | date = 13 June 2016 | access-date = 13 June 2016 | work = The Verge }}

In September 2018, Ueda revealed that the studio was at the prototyping stage of designing a new game, supported with funding from the investment fund Kowloon Nights.{{citation| title = Fumito Ueda's next project underway, rivals the scale of previous titles | date = 12 Sep 2018 | first = Sal | last = Romano |work = gematsu.com | url =https://gematsu.com/2018/09/fumito-uedas-next-project-underway-rivals-the-scale-of-previous-titles}}{{cite web |last1=Leone |first1=Matt |title=Meet Kowloon Nights, the group funding Fumito Ueda's next game |url=https://www.polygon.com/features/2018/9/13/17853204/kowloon-nights-investment-fund-fumito-ueda-gendesign |website=Polygon |date=September 13, 2018 |access-date=8 July 2019}} In March 2020, Epic Games announced that they would be fully funding development, with the two companies splitting profits in half.{{cite web | url = https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/epic-will-publish-games-from-remedy-playdead-and-gen-design/ | title= Epic will publish games from Remedy, Playdead and Gen Design | first = Andy | last = Robinson | date = March 26, 2020 | access-date= March 26, 2020 | work = Video Games Chronicle }}

At the 2024 Game Awards the first trailer for the game was revealed. The game is currently untitled but "Project Robot" appears to be the working title.{{Cite web |last=Valentine |first=Rebekah |date=2024-12-13 |title=Fumito Ueda's Next Game, Probably Codenamed 'Project Robot', Officially Revealed - The Game Awards 2024 |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/fumito-uedas-next-game-probably-codenamed-project-robot-officially-revealed-the-game-awards-2024 |access-date=2024-12-13 |website=IGN |language=en}}

Influences and style

He described himself as a very inquisitive child saying "I enjoyed catching and keeping living things, such as fish or birds. Other than that, I liked both watching and making animation. Basically, I seemed to be interested in things that moved." Among his favorite subjects in school was art. He commented, "If I was not in the games industry, I would want to become a classical artist. Though I regard not only games but also anything that expresses something – be it films, novels or manga – as forms of art."{{Cite web|date=August 18, 2005|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2005/aug/18/games.shopping|title=A break from the norm|first=Ollie|last=Barder|website=The Guardian|access-date=August 25, 2017}}

Ueda played many Sega Mega Drive games, which influenced his work.{{cite web|author=blackoak|url=http://shmuplations.com/ico/|title=ICO – 2002 Developer Interview |website=Shmuplations|access-date=August 25, 2017}} He was also a fan of the Amiga computer platform games Flashback and Another World during his teen years.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jun/28/the-last-guardian-fumito-ueda-interview|title= The Last Guardian creator: 'I can't face playing my own game' |date=June 28, 2016|access-date=August 25, 2017|website=The Guardian}} Other games that influenced his work include The Legend of Zelda,{{cite web|url=http://archives.insertcredit.com/reviews/wanda/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200203085749/http://archives.insertcredit.com/reviews/wanda/|archive-date=3 February 2020|title=shadow of the colossus |date=October 25, 2005|access-date=August 25, 2017}} Virtua Fighter, and Prince of Persia.{{cite web|url=https://blog.eu.playstation.com/2016/11/18/watch-the-last-guardians-spectacular-new-cg-trailer/ |title=Watch The Last Guardian's spectacular new CG trailer|website=PlayStation Blog|date=November 18, 2016 |access-date=August 25, 2017}} He was also influenced by the work of Kenji Eno,{{cite web|url=http://www.glixel.com/interviews/the-last-guardian-creator-talks-first-game-job-kenji-eno-w459337|title='The Last Guardian' Creator Ueda on His First Game Job and the Late Kenji Eno|website=Glixel|date=January 6, 2017|access-date=May 27, 2019|archive-date=February 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170211075843/http://www.glixel.com/interviews/the-last-guardian-creator-talks-first-game-job-kenji-eno-w459337|url-status=dead}} and the manga series Galaxy Express 999 (1977–1981).{{citation|title=The PlayStation 2 Interview: Fumita Ueda|magazine=Official PlayStation 2 Magazine|issue=19|date=April 2002}}

Ueda's games are considered to have a distinctive style, which Ueda himself describes as "design by subtraction", with sparse landscapes, oversaturated lighting and minimalist story to give his games a personal and distinctive feel. Ueda also said that, in video games, ideas for a gameplay mechanic should be made first, then complemented by a game's story. In 2008, IGN ranked Ueda as one of their top 100 game creators of all time, saying that his knack for "creating atmospheric puzzle playgrounds with mute or near-mute characters instills a sense of isolation, yet provides an endearing feeling of hope as the protagonists seek simply to find an exodus or redemption from their weather-worn, ornate prisons".{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/lists/top-100-game-creators/46|title=46. Fumito Ueda |website=IGN |date=2008 |access-date=August 25, 2017}}

Works

class="wikitable sortable"

!Year

!Game title

!Role

1996

|D no Shokutaku: Director's Cut

|Animator{{Cite web |last=shmuplations |date=2021-12-26 |title=Fumito Ueda – 2005 Developer Interview - shmuplations.com |url=https://shmuplations.com/ueda/ |access-date=2025-04-10 |language=en-US}}

1997

| Enemy Zero

|CGI animator

2001

|Ico

|Director, game designer, key animator, character designer

2005

|Shadow of the Colossus

|Director, game designer, writer

2016

|The Last Guardian

|Director, producer, game designer, narrative designer