According to a report citing “multiple industry sources” at Square Enix Music Online, Final Fantasy XIII composer Masashi Hamauzu has taken his leave from the game’s publisher, following his work on the soundtrack for the international version of the game.
The report additionally states that Hamauzu’s departure is the third in an ongoing exodus from Square Enix’s current team of composers, and that more members of the team are expected to follow suit in the coming months.
Especially in the case of Square Enix, this isn’t really a new phenomenon. Some of our readers are no doubt aware that famed composers Yoko Shimomura and Nobuo Uematsu were once in the employ of the company until their respective departures in 2002 and 2004. While Uematsu’s involvement in Square Enix projects has been relatively limited (his next sizable project in collaboration with them is Final Fantasy XIV) , Shimomura has continued her work on the Kingdom Hearts franchise, and will also be involved with the music for both Final Fantasy Versus XIII and Parasite Eve: The 3rd Birthday.
For those interested, a partial list of projects Masashi Hamauzu has been involved in is as follows: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy X, Unlimited SaGa, Musashi Samurai Legend, Sigma Harmonics.
