Last August, Type-Moon launched a brand new game development studio, dubbed Type-Moon Studio BB, led by former Square Enix director Kazuya Niinou. Niinou, who helped create Etrian Odyssey at Atlus and then spearheaded the development of Dragon Quest Builders at Square, announced that the goal of Type-Moon Studio BB was to facilitate the creation of brand new 2D and 3D games based on Type-Moon properties.
Over the past few months, Type-Moon Studio BB has been highlighting some of the talent that has joined its ranks since the studio was set up, and we now know the names of five key members of staff:
Yasuhiro Ikuta – Game Designer
Formerly of Square Enix, Ikuta worked as Battle Game Designer on SaGa: Scarlet Grace and served as the director of the game’s expanded Ambitions release on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PC. During his time at Square, Ikuta also served as a “Crafting, Gathering, and Item Planner” on Final Fantasy XIV.
Koya Tsukada – Scenario Writer
Like Ikuta, Tsukuda has extensive experience working on Square Enix projects. He was the scenario writer for Dragon Quest Builders and Dragon Quest Builders 2. He also worked on the scenarios of Valkyria Chronicles 4 and Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth as part of Strobeworks Inc., one of several companies involved with the stories of both games.
Yoshikazu Takenouchi – Art Director
Another ex-Square developer like Ikuta, Takenouchi served as Art Director on Dragon Quest Builders 2, and a character artist on SaGa Scarlet Grace and Final Fantasy XIV. He also created concept art for Fate/Grand Order, some of which you can see above. Takenouchi says that the ongoing pandemic has forced him to work remotely, but that work is proceeding smoothly nonetheless.
Kuroko Hibara – Art Designer
Hibara’s first exposure to Type Moon was through Garden of Sinners. In the past, he’s worked on both 2D and 3D games, and as a freelancer in the animation industry. He’s currently working on a 3DCG game based on a Type-Moon property that he hopes to show off some day. The goal is to create something that can be enjoyed by Type Moon fans, as well as those unfamiliar with the company.
Toru Kamiyama – Programmer
Kamiyama served as Interface Programmer on Black Rock Shooter: The Game and Last Ranker while he was at Imageepoch. He then went on to serve as a Gameplay Engineer and Mission Programmer on Ace Combat 7 by Bandai Namco.
Type-Moon Studio BB currently has three projects in development—a smaller-scale title that is being developed in-house, a medium-scale project that is being worked on in collaboration with an external developer, and a large-scale title that is several years away. The studio plans to release its games on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
