Many of you long-time gamers probably heard from a teacher when you were kids or teenagers that you play too many video games – and you are not alone in this. Takashi Kiryu, the new CEO of the Japanese publisher Square Enix, has had a similar experience and is now addressing his former teachers.
Who is it about?
- Takashi Kiryu is the CEO of the Japanese publisher Square Enix, known among other things as the publisher of Final Fantasy.
- Takashi Kiryu recently succeeded Yosuke Matsuda, who announced in March 2023 that he would step down as CEO of Square Enix.
- Takashi Kiryu has only been with Square Enix since 2020 and has changed his position several times since then.
- According to his own statements, Kiryu is a fan of Final Fantasy, which he emphasized again at a “Final Fantasy XVI” event in June.
In what context did the “Square Enix” CEO talk about his teachers? Square Enix held an event on June 12 as part of the Summer Game Fest centered around the upcoming role-playing game Final Fantasy XVI. At the beginning of the live show, fans saw a new trailer for the game, then “Square Enix” CEO Takashi Kiryu took the stage.
After the 47-year-old Japanese welcomed the audience to the show, Kiryu spoke as part of his welcoming speech about his personal relationship with the “Final Fantasy” series and how he came to his first game in the franchise:
I don’t know how you felt when you saw the trailer, but I felt like a kid again. …like a little boy, in the winter of 1987, who loved RPGs, who loved Dragon Quest, which came out the year before and was amazing. I had to get my hands on the big novelty, and as a reward for helping my parents with orange picking, and after begging them for an early Christmas gift, my father bought me the very first Final Fantasy.
Takashi Kiryu, CEO of Square Enix via YouTube (Timestamp: 00:15:25)
We embed the trailer that ran before Kiryu’s speech at the event here:
Playing games became an important part of Kiryu’s life: “Whenever a new title came out, I had to make time to play – forget about homework, forget about eating, forget about sleeping! I would sleep in class anyway. While my friends focused on sports or other activities, I focused on gaming.”
Shortly thereafter, the businessman recounted a few former teachers who criticized his preference for video games and doubted his potential success.
What did he show to his teachers? Kiryu showed it to his former teachers by standing on stage as the CEO of Square Enix – and he told them exactly that.
The 47-year-old recounted that several teachers told him as a child that he would not succeed in life if he played so many video games. Now they would be surprised to see him as CEO on the stage of the game he used to love:
More than a few teachers told me that you won’t succeed in life if you play all the time. But they [will] be very surprised to see me standing on this stage with you!
The release of the new Final Fantasy XVI is just around the corner, as PS5 players can dive into the fray on June 22. The story trailer of the latest installment promises a mega RPG:
Final Fantasy XVI: Story trailer promises a new mega RPG for fans
