Kenichi Nishi
{{short description|Japanese video game designer (born 1967)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Kenichi Nishi
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1967|06|20}}
| birth_place = Tokyo, Japan
| death_date =
| death_place =
| education =
| occupation = Founder of Love-de-Lic, Skip, Ltd., Route24
Game designer and director
| title =
| spouse =
| parents =
| children =
| nationality = Japanese
| website = http://www.route24.jp/
}}
{{nihongo|Kenichi Nishi|西 健一|Nishi Ken'ichi|born June 20, 1967}} is a Japanese video game designer. He has helped found a number of notable video game companies and develops games at Route24, his own private limited company. The number 24 in the title comes from its founder's name: "Ni" (2) and "Shi" (4).{{cite web | author=Bruno de Figueiredo | title=Hardcore Gaming 101: Love De Lic | url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/lovedelic/lovedelic.htm | work=Hardcore Gaming 101 | accessdate=2010-02-04 | archive-date=2018-04-09 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180409191232/http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/lovedelic/lovedelic.htm | url-status=dead }}
Career
Nishi previously worked for both Telenet Japan and its subsidiary Riot. He was later hired by Square as a field designer for two of its larger releases.{{cite web|author=Riley, Adam |date=July 22, 2006 |title=Skip, Ltd Talks Nintendo, Chibi-Robo DS, GiFTPiA & More! (Transcript) |url=http://www.gamiko.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3603 |publisher=Cubed3 |accessdate=2008-09-06 }}{{dead link|date=May 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} After leaving Square in 1995, Nishi helped establish Love-de-Lic, Inc. with many of his former Square coworkers. There, he designed two of the small company's three game releases: Moon: Remix RPG Adventure and L.O.L.: Lack of Love.{{cite web | title=Route24OfficialBlog Profile | url=http://www.route24.jp/?page_id=2813 | publisher=Route24 | language=Japanese | accessdate=2008-09-06 | url-status=dead | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080829063209/http://www.route24.jp/?page_id=2813 | archivedate=2008-08-29 }}{{cite magazine |magazine=GamesTM |publisher=Imagine Publishing |title=Behind the Scenes – LOL: Lack of Love |year=2010 |issue=3 |page=117 |series=The Ultimate Retro Companion |issn=1448-2606 |oclc=173412381 |url=http://www.gamestm.co.uk/retro/behind-the-scenes-lol-lack-of-love/ |access-date=2011-04-22 |archive-date=2011-04-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110428133815/http://www.gamestm.co.uk/retro/behind-the-scenes-lol-lack-of-love/ |url-status=live }} He also helped design and write the script for the 1999 Polygon Magic title Incredible Crisis.{{cite magazine |magazine=Nintendo Power | publisher=Nintendo of America | location=Redmond Washington | title=Breaking the Mold: Chibi-Robo | issue=201 | pages=28–33 | author=Hoffman, Chris | date=March 2006}} Nishi then co-founded skip Ltd., a second-party developer for Nintendo. Acting as vice president of the company, he also directed GiFTPiA and co-directed Chibi-Robo!. Shortly thereafter, he left skip and founded Route24 on February 23, 2006. According to Nishi, he felt that working on large projects with a large group of people such as those at skip limited his freedom in designing games.{{cite web | author=Alexander, Patrick | date=March 14, 2008 | title=Feature: Kenichi Nishi and Archime-DS Interview (Part One) | url=http://www.eegra.com/pages/show/title/14_03_2008_Feature__Kenichi_Nishi_and_Archime_DS_Interview__Part_One_/ | publisher=Eegra | accessdate=2008-09-11 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080914032808/http://www.eegra.com/pages/show/title/14_03_2008_Feature__Kenichi_Nishi_and_Archime_DS_Interview__Part_One_ | archive-date=2008-09-14 | url-status=dead }} He apparently still collaborates with them though, seeing Captain Rainbow (2008) credited him for the game's script.
At Route24, Nishi and a staff of four other people developed LOL for the Nintendo DS, which was published by skip in 2007.{{cite web | author=Riley, Adam | date=May 3, 2007 | title=Kenichi Nishi on Archime-DS | url=http://www.cubed3.com/news/7456 | publisher=Cubed3 | accessdate=2008-09-06 | archive-date=2007-09-28 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928002013/http://www.cubed3.com/news/7456 | url-status=live }} He worked on Newtonica and Newtonica2 for the iPhone and iPod Touch with Kenji Eno, among other independently developed mobile games. In 2010, Nishi expressed interest in developing a sequel to Moon: Remix RPG Adventure, asking fans to voice their support via Twitter.{{cite web | author=Parkin, Simon | date=October 13, 2010 | title=JRPG Producer Looks To Twitter To Help Secure A Publisher | url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/30943/JRPG_Producer_Looks_To_Twitter_To_Help_Secure_A_Publisher.php | publisher=Gamasutra | accessdate=2011-03-26 | archive-date=2017-08-03 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170803050031/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/30943/JRPG_Producer_Looks_To_Twitter_To_Help_Secure_A_Publisher.php | url-status=live }}
Personal life
Nishi lives in Meguro, Tokyo. He is a fan of British rock music and once had a dog named Tao, who Nishi featured as a character in many of his games including Moon: Remix RPG Adventure, GiFTPiA, L.O.L.: Lack of Love, Chibi-Robo and Captain Rainbow. Tao died in October 2009 due to kidney complications.{{cite web | author=Caoili, Eric | date=November 16, 2009 | title=All Dogs Go To Heaven: Kenichi Nishi's Tao Passes | url=http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2009/11/all_dogs_go_to_heaven_kenichi.php | publisher=GameSetWatch | accessdate=2009-11-19 | archive-date=2009-11-18 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091118022047/http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2009/11/all_dogs_go_to_heaven_kenichi.php | url-status=dead }} It is said that Dragon Quest III is Nishi's favorite game.
Credits
{{incomplete list|date=May 2024}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.route24.jp/top/ Route24 Official Blog] {{in lang|ja}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20081012203848/http://www.studiovoice.jp/blog/nishi_kenichi/ Kenichi Nishi's blog at Studio Voice Online] {{in lang|ja}}
- [http://one42.tumblr.com/ Kenichi Nishi's dual blog with Kenji Eno] {{in lang|ja}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nishi, Kenichi}}
{{Chibi-Robo!}}