Takashi Tokita

Takashi Tokita (時田 貴司) (born 24 January 1965) is a Japanese video game developer working for Square Enix. He has worked there since 1985, and has worked as the lead designer for Final Fantasy IV as well as the director of Live A Live, Parasite Eve and Chrono Trigger.

Career
Tokita joined Square in 1985 as a part-time employee, not becoming full-time until the development of Final Fantasy IV. For the first three Final Fantasy games, he worked on graphic design, testing, and sound effects, respectively, before becoming lead designer of Final Fantasy IV in 1991.

Tokita wanted to make a career as a theater actor, but working on Final Fantasy IV made him decide to become a "great creator" of video games. He was one of only 14 people working on the game. Tokita feels that Final Fantasy IV is the first game in the series to really pick up on drama, and the first Japanese RPG to feature "such deep characters and plot". He also felt that Final Fantasy IV was so good because it was the culmination of the best parts of the first three games.

Chrono Trigger is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1995. Director credits were attributed to Akihiko Matsui, Yoshinori Kitase and Takashi Tokita. Tetsuya Takahashi had the role of graphic director. Additionally, Takashi Tokita, along with Yoshinori Kitase wrote the various subplots to the game.

Following that title, he was also involved in the production of Final Fantasy VII.

He handled the game design for Parasite Eve and wrote the game's story. He considers the later games in the series as having been "handed off" to others.

After the successful remakes of Final Fantasy III and Final Fantasy IV, there was a desire by the team to make a new game in the same style.

He was the lead developer on Final Fantasy IV: The After Years.

His greatest inspiration was Dragon Quest II, since it emotionally engaged him like no game he had played before.

Between 2003 and 2007, Tokita was the head of Square's Product Development Division 7.

Currently, Tokita is a senior manager and producer in Square Enix's Business Division 8.