Metaphor and Persona 5 Director Likes to Oversee Creative Process “To The End”

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As a gamer with a deep appreciation for the JRPG genre and a keen eye for creative direction, I can wholeheartedly say that Katsura Hashino is a true visionary. His journey through Atlus since 1994, culminating in his role as head of Studio Zero, has been nothing short of extraordinary.

Katsura Hashino has been leaving an indelible mark in the world of JRPGs, thanks to his role as director for games such as Persona 5 and Metaphor: ReFantazio.

Since 1994, Hashino has been a part of Atlus. Starting as a designer for “Sin Megami Tensei If…” and “Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner,” he later stepped into the director role for “Maken X” in 1999.

Following his tenure as head of Atlus’ P-Studio, he now heads their Studio Zero team. Leaving behind the Persona series, he initiated a new intellectual property that evolved into Metaphor. In this project, he took on roles such as game director and creative producer, contributing significantly to the game’s unique narrative. Wearing multiple hats may seem challenging, but for Hashino, it’s an essential aspect of his creative journey. During a chat with former Capcom developer and current GPTRACK50 President and CEO Hiroyuki Kobayashi, this multi-faceted role was discussed as an integral part of the process.

In a translated quote, Hashino explains the balancing act of being a director and a producer.

As a director, I usually place great emphasis on my decision-making. This often means adding extra stress to my own workload because I’m also the producer, responsible for making things work. Director Hashino sometimes makes demanding requests, but Producer Hashino finds ways to accommodate… that’s just how it is (laughs). However, I wouldn’t impose personal demands like “We should highlight the author’s character.” instead, we find a balance that works best for everyone involved.

He mentions his intention to oversee creative aspects until the completion of development, a role that ensures every project maintains its focus from start to finish.

Hashino Hopes Metaphor Can Become a Flagship Franchise for Studio Zero

Working within Studio Zero alongside Hashino, who led the creative process, enabled his team to make the crucial choices that ultimately contributed to the triumph of the new IP, Metaphor.

One difference is that the game’s environment is based on a fictional, magical world rather than the ordinary settings usually found in Persona games.

The decision to establish “Metaphor” within a fantasy realm stemmed primarily from the team’s preferences. In my perspective, it’s crucial to contemplate how we might advance our current JRPG into its next phase. I don’t usually approach the theme consciously.

On this occasion, there was a demand from my team members, leading me to believe that a fantasy realm would provide an exciting new hurdle. Consequently, I chose to craft it in this manner. Therefore, it wasn’t necessarily predetermined that I would create a fantasy game. In the event of producing another game and finding that “the Sengoku era offers the ideal backdrop,” it could evolve into a JRPG bearing resemblance to “Sengoku BASARA” (laughs).

Hashino expresses satisfaction with the favorable responses to the game, yet admits a sense of relief as well. He acknowledges that certain aspects of the game have received justified criticism, causing him and his team to ponder whether they invested sufficient energy in particular sections of the project.

The feedback they receive will guide their upcoming project. Exactly what form that will take is yet to be determined. Hashino aims for “Metaphor” to serve as a landmark title for Studio Zero, just like how “Shin Megami Tensei” and “Persona” became triumphs for their respective teams.

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2024-12-27 18:38