Keita Takahashi (高橋 慶太, Takahashi Keita, born 1975) is a Japanese game designer and artist, his most notable titles being Katamari Damacy and its sequel, We Love Katamari. The original Katamari game was a surprise hit and was praised for its quirkiness, originality, and charm. Takahashi is married to pianist and composer Asuka Sakai, who has worked with Takahashi on various projects.
Keita Takahashi | |
|---|---|
 Takahashi in 2005 | |
| Born | 1975 (age 48–49) |
| Alma mater | Musashino Art University |
| Occupation(s) | Game designer, artist |
| Spouse | Asuka Sakai |
Career
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In an interview, Takahashi announced that he hopes to eventually move on from video games, with an ambition of designing a playground for children.[1] On October 28, 2009, the Nottingham City Council announced during the Gamecity festival that Takahashi was spending a month in the city working on designs for the play area at Woodthorpe Grange.[2] In 2012, Takahashi revealed to an audience that the Nottingham project had been indefinitely postponed, due to budget concerns.[3] He and his wife, Asuka Sakai, formed the company uvula in October 2010 to support his freelance game design career, as well as his playground designs.[4]
In July 2011, it was announced that he was joining Tiny Speck's Vancouver team, working on Glitch.[5] After the game shuttered in December 2012, he moved to San Francisco.[6]
In early 2019, the Telfair Museum ran an exhibition at the Jepson Center entitled "Keita Takahashi: Zooming Out", featuring various elements of Takahashi's work. Takahashi worked on designing the exhibits, which included a playable version of the game A͈L͈P͈H͈A͈B͈E͈T͈ with a custom controller.[7][8]
In July 2022, Takahashi announced a new game project, entitled "to a T".[9][10]
Works
edit| Year | Game | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Katamari Damacy | Director |
| 2005 | We Love Katamari | Director |
| 2009 | Noby Noby Boy | Director, designer |
| 2011 | Glitch | Designer |
| 2013 | Tenya Wanya Teens | Designer |
| Alphabet | Designer | |
| 2016 | WOORLD | Designer |
| 2019 | Wattam | Designer |
| 2021 | Crankin's Time Travel Adventure[11] | Designer |
| TBA | to a T[10] | Designer |
References
edit- ^ Hermida, Alfred (2005-11-10). "Technology | Katamari creator dreams of playgrounds". BBC News. Retrieved 2012-02-20.
- ^ "Video games guru to design play area". This is Nottingham. Archived from the original on 2009-11-20. Retrieved 2009-10-28.
- ^ "Staying Playful with Keita Takahashi". 5 September 2012.
- ^ Gilbert, Ben (2010-10-03). "Katamari Damacy director and wife reveal new company". Joystiq. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
- ^ "Working With Your Heroes: Welcome Keita Takahashi". 2011-07-08.
- ^ Ashcraft, Brian (19 June 2019). "Why Katamari Damacy's Creator Left Japan". Kotaku. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
- ^ "Keita Takahashi: Zooming Out » Telfair Museums".
- ^ "Tracing the work of Keita Takahashi, from Sculpture to Games".
- ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (July 30, 2022). "Katamari Damacy Creator Keita Takahashi Teases New Game". Anime News Network. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ a b Romano, Sal (2023-06-29). "Annapurna Interactive, uvula, and Keita Takahashi announce to a T for Xbox Series, Xbox One, and PC". Gematsu. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
- ^ "Crankin's Time Travel Adventure".
External links
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