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Keita Takahashi

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Keita Takahashi
Takahashi in 2005
Born1975 (age 48–49)
Moji-ku, Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan
Alma materMusashino Art University
Occupation(s)Game designer, artist
SpouseAsuka Sakai

Keita Takahashi (高橋 慶太, Takahashi Keita, born 1975) is a Japanese game designer and artist, his most notable titles being Katamari Damacy and its sequel, We Love Katamari. The original Katamari game was a surprise hit and was praised for its quirkiness, originality, and charm. Takahashi is married to pianist and composer Asuka Sakai, who has worked with Takahashi on various projects.

Career

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Keita Takahashi at GDG 2006

In an interview, Takahashi announced that he hopes to eventually move on from video games, with an ambition of designing a playground for children.[1] On October 28, 2009, the Nottingham City Council announced during the Gamecity festival that Takahashi was spending a month in the city working on designs for the play area at Woodthorpe Grange.[2] In 2012, Takahashi revealed to an audience that the Nottingham project had been indefinitely postponed, due to budget concerns.[3] He and his wife, Asuka Sakai, formed the company uvula in October 2010 to support his freelance game design career, as well as his playground designs.[4]

In July 2011, it was announced that he was joining Tiny Speck's Vancouver team, working on Glitch.[5] After the game shuttered in December 2012, he moved to San Francisco.[6]

In early 2019, the Telfair Museum ran an exhibition at the Jepson Center entitled "Keita Takahashi: Zooming Out", featuring various elements of Takahashi's work. Takahashi worked on designing the exhibits, which included a playable version of the game A͈L͈P͈H͈A͈B͈E͈T͈ with a custom controller.[7][8]

In July 2022, Takahashi announced a new game project, entitled "to a T".[9][10]

Works

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Year Game Role
2004 Katamari Damacy Director
2005 We Love Katamari Director
2009 Noby Noby Boy Director, designer
2011 Glitch Designer
2013 Tenya Wanya Teens Designer
Alphabet Designer
2016 WOORLD Designer
2019 Wattam Designer
2021 Crankin's Time Travel Adventure[11] Designer
TBA to a T[10] Designer

References

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  1. ^ Hermida, Alfred (2005-11-10). "Technology | Katamari creator dreams of playgrounds". BBC News. Retrieved 2012-02-20.
  2. ^ "Video games guru to design play area". This is Nottingham. Archived from the original on 2009-11-20. Retrieved 2009-10-28.
  3. ^ "Staying Playful with Keita Takahashi". 5 September 2012.
  4. ^ Gilbert, Ben (2010-10-03). "Katamari Damacy director and wife reveal new company". Joystiq. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
  5. ^ "Working With Your Heroes: Welcome Keita Takahashi". 2011-07-08.
  6. ^ Ashcraft, Brian (19 June 2019). "Why Katamari Damacy's Creator Left Japan". Kotaku. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  7. ^ "Keita Takahashi: Zooming Out » Telfair Museums".
  8. ^ "Tracing the work of Keita Takahashi, from Sculpture to Games". 13 February 2019.
  9. ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (July 30, 2022). "Katamari Damacy Creator Keita Takahashi Teases New Game". Anime News Network. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  10. ^ a b Romano, Sal (2023-06-29). "Annapurna Interactive, uvula, and Keita Takahashi announce to a T for Xbox Series, Xbox One, and PC". Gematsu. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
  11. ^ "Crankin's Time Travel Adventure".
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