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Suikoden & Eiyuden Chronicle director Yoshitaka Murayama passes away at 54

Murayama was best known for creating the Suikoden franchise, but he was also directing the fast-approaching Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes.

TJ Denzer

February 14, 2024 12:15 PM

Rabbit & Bear Studio

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Sad news in the gaming industry this month as Yoshitaka Murayama, the creator of the Suikoden franchise, lead at Rabbit & Bear Studios, and director of the upcoming Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, has passed away at the age of 54. Murayama was said to have suffered complications with an illness.

Murayama’s passing was reported directly by Rabbit & Bear Studios with a statement on the studio’s website.

Murayama helped launch the Suikoden franchise. He would direct the first two games of the series before leaving Konami in 2002 for greener pastures. In 2020, he became a lead at Rabbit & Bear Studios and launched a Kickstarter for Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes. That Kickstarter was immensely successful, raising more than three times the asking amount in just a handful of days. Hundred Heroes has been in development since. It was also delayed, but was finally set for a release in April 2024.

It’s a massive shame that Murayama won’t see his passionate work come to fruition, but Rabbit & Bear are still set on launching the game on schedule in honor of Murayama’s contributions. As we wait to see how the game turns out, stay tuned for further updates. Regardless, Shacknews wishes the best to Yoshitaka Murayama's friends and family.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.