Akitoshi Kawazu

is a Japanese game designer, director, producer and writer. After joining Square (later Square Enix) in 1986, he went on to become a central developer for the first two Final Fantasy titles, then acted as creator and lead developer for the SaGa series.

Interested in games since his high school days, his first project at Square was a graphic designer for Rad Racer; he then acted as battle designer for Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy II. He has since worked on nearly every SaGa title, in addition to creating the Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles subseries, smaller projects including The Last Remnant, and serving in an executive role on many Square Enix projects.

Kawazu was inspired by role-playing titles such as Dungeons & Dragons, Wizardry and Dragon Quest, with a preference for sword and sorcery settings in his scenarios. A characteristic of his games is a non-linear design for storylines and exploration, and systems that are not actively explained to players. He also has a deep involvement in each project beyond his credited roles, and tries something new with each game he develops.

Biography Early life Kawazu was born on November 5, 1962, in Oguni, a town in Aso District, Kumamoto Prefecture.