COLLECTED WORKS YU SUZUKI

The veteran developer reflects on his pioneering arcade games, the challenges of crowdfunding and the completion of Shenmue III

- Nick Thorpe

During the 1980s and 1990s, the commercial potential of an arcade game often relied as much on technological innovation as it did on carefully considered game design. This was an ideal situation for the man in charge of Sega’s AM2 team, Yu Suzuki, as he was given priority access to new technologies that allowed him to pursue his interests in simulation. Utilising motion cabinets and 3D graphics hardware, Suzuki created games that pulled off a tricky balancing act, providing a sense of realism without sacrificing the instant gratification so important to arcade success.

As home consoles caught up with the power of arcade boards, Suzuki developed the Shenmue games, RPGs featuring his most ambitious simulation effort to date: fully functioning towns. Though popular, the series was unable to recoup its budget and Suzuki’s focus since 2001 has primarily been on creating the third game in the Shenmue series, a challenge that had often seemed insurmountable. With Shenmue III now finally in the wild, here Suzuki takes a retrospective look at some of the highlights of his 35-year career in the game industry.

HANG-ON

Developer/publisher Sega (AM2) Format Arcade Release 1985