Akihiko Matsui

is a Japanese video game developer and battle designer working for Square Enix. He was one of the directors for Chrono Trigger and worked on several battle systems for the Final Fantasy series.

Career After finishing his work on Romancing SaGa 2, Matsui joined the development of Chrono Trigger midway through. He was responsible for planning and the movements of monsters in battles. Since 2000, Matsui has been a member of the production staff for the MMORPG Final Fantasy XI, where he was in charge of the battle system. He became the director of the game's ongoing development in September 2010 but was succeeded by Mizuki Ito two months later. Matsui was switched to the Final Fantasy XIV team as lead combat system designer following the game's unsuccessful launch.

When Final Fantasy XI producer Hiromichi Tanaka left the company in August 2012, Matsui was chosen to fill the position in his place. In March 2023, Yoji Fujito replaced Matsui, who would in some form continue supporting Final Fantasy XI.

Works Release Title System Credit(s) 1991 Final Fantasy IV Super Nintendo Entertainment System Battle designer 1992 Final Fantasy V Super Nintendo Entertainment System Battle planner 1993 Romancing SaGa 2 Super Nintendo Entertainment System Map developer, map data developer 1995 Chrono Trigger Super Nintendo Entertainment System Director 1996 Koi wa Baransu Tatoeba K-kun no Tabou na Ichinichi-hen Satellaview Game designer 1997 SaGa Frontier PlayStation Game data developer 1999 Legend of Mana PlayStation Game designer, system design chief 2002 Final Fantasy XI PlayStation 2, Windows Battle data designer, battle director, director (2010), producer (2012 – 2023) 2013 Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Windows Lead combat system designer 2024 SaGa: Emerald Beyond Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows Assistant Director