Konami producer Tak Fujii announces his departure from the company

Last night on Twitter, Konami producer and internet meme star Tak Fujii announced his departure from the company he’s been at for 20 years.

Here’s the tweet that kicked it off:

It’s been great 20 years of creation. Thanks for all who supported, loved my titles. Farewell and may the extreeeeemeness be with KONAMI.

— Tak Fujii　藤井隆之 (@Tak_Fujii) December 17, 2014

 

Tak isn’t necessarily one of the more well-known people from the Japanese gaming scene for Westerners; titles he’s played some role in include Pro Evolution Soccer, Frogger 3D, Blades of Time, and Ninety-Nine Nights II. It was that latter game, however, that made him a household name for some in the West.

You see, Tak was part of Konami’s E3 2010 press conference—an event that became legendary from the moment it kicked off. The press conference was one of the most bizarre, surreal, awkward, and hilarious live broadcasts to ever happen in our industry, and the reaction was so strong that Konami switched over to doing pre-recorded presentations for every following E3.

While there were numerous memorable moments from the show, Tak’s presentation for Nintety-Nine Nights II especially stood out:

I had the chance to meet Tak a few years ago at a pre-Tokyo Game Show party, and one of the things that really stood out to me was how nice of a guy he was, and how in stride he took the fame he received from that Konami press conference. He never seemed hurt or insulted by the reactions viewers had had, instead choosing to laugh along with them at what he knew had not been the best of press conferences. His genuine and sincere nature, I have to believe, are what helped him gain the following he has, even without having been a part of many major gaming projects.

Near the end of last year, Tak announced that he had been diagnosed with cancer. Even during his treatments, he always retained a positive attitude on Twitter, making jokes about taking “one million pills by the end of this nightmare” and thanking all of his fans for their well-wishes. While Tak said on the social media service that cancer wasn’t the reason for his leaving Konami, he’s also noted that he’s still dealing with the effects of the disease, and still “needs serious attention.” He also promises that he isn’t disappearing from game development—he’ll just be focusing on things from more of a freelance and independent angle.

So, Tak, I wish you the best—both in in your health, and your future career.

Konami producer Tak Fujii announces his departure from the company