SE Business Divisions / FF16 Ito Debate goes here & nowhere else

1Truth2Lies · Nov 11, 2014

Many people don't know this, but Square Enix actually restructured their internal development teams into a new Business Division structure. It was first mentioned by Yoshinori Kitase in a LR FFXIII interview by Famitsu in December 2013. Kitase said this new structure came into power in December 2013. I've spent the past 10 months researching this and have finally compiled my findings. There are 12 Business Divisions in total, but only the first 8 are worthy of mentioning, as they're the ones that develop for consoles and handhelds. The remaining 4 are mainly dedicated to smartphone and social games.

Also, it's important to note that none of the staff are fixed. Even the heads of each Business Division can work on games developed by other divisions. For example, Yoshinori Kitase, head of Business Division I, is the Executive Producer of Final Fantasy VII G-Bike, developed by Business Division IV.

With all that said, below is the results of my research.

UPDATE (June 2015): The information below has been improved using my research obtained from November 2014 until June 2015. I've added info on what each Business Division mainly focuses on, listed more of their notable works including the Japanese release dates, and added a photo of the person at the helm of each division.

UPDATE (August 2015): Hiroyuki Ito and the Final Fantasy XII team are in Business Division V. Business Division VIII doesn't develop AAA titles for consoles.

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Business Division I (Square 1st Production Department No.1)
Mainly focuses on Final Fantasy games with Turn-Based gameplay.

Corporate Executive
Yoshinori Kitase (北瀬佳範)

Notable Works of Business Division I

Final Fantasy VI (April 2, 1994)
Bahamut Lagoon (February 9, 1996)
Final Fantasy VII (January 31, 1997)
Final Fantasy VIII (February 11, 1999)
Final Fantasy X (July 19, 2001)
Final Fantasy X-2 (March 13, 2003)
Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII- (January 26, 2006)
Blood of Bahamut (August 6, 2009)
Final Fantasy XIII (December 17, 2009)
Final Fantasy XIII-2 (December 15, 2011)
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII (November 21, 2013)
Final Fantasy X|X-2 HD Remaster (December 26, 2013)
Mobius Final Fantasy (June 4, 2015)
Final Fantasy VII Remake (TBA)

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Business Division II (Square 1st Production Department No.2)
Mainly focuses on Final Fantasy games with Action gameplay.

Corporate Executive
Hajime Tabata (田畑端)

Notable Works of Business Division II

Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII- (September 24, 2004)
Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- (September 13, 2007)
The 3rd Birthday (December 22, 2010)
Final Fantasy Type-0 (October 27, 2011)
Final Fantasy Agito (May 15, 2014)
Final Fantasy Type-0 HD (March 17, 2015)
Final Fantasy Agito+ (TBA)
Final Fantasy XV (TBA)
Final Fantasy Type-1 (TBA)

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Business Division III (Square 1st Production Department No.3)
Mainly focuses on Kingdom Hearts games.

Corporate Executive
Shinji Hashimoto (橋本真司)

Notable Works of Business Division III

Kingdom Hearts (March 28, 2002)
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories (November 11, 2004)
Kingdom Hearts II (December 22, 2005)
Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories (March 29, 2007)
The World Ends With You (July 26, 2007)
Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days (May 30, 2009)
SaGa 2: Goddess of Destiny (September 17, 2009)
Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep (January 9, 2010)
Front Mission Evolved (September 16, 2010)
Kingdom Hearts Re:coded (October 7, 2010)
SaGa 3: Shadow or Light (January 6, 2011)
Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance (March 29, 2012)
The World Ends With You -Solo Remix- (August 27, 2012)
Kingdom Hearts I.5 HD ReMIX (March 14, 2013)
Kingdom Hearts II.5 HD ReMIX (October 2, 2014)
Final Fantasy Explorers (December 18, 2014)
Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ (TBA 2015)
SaGa 25th Anniversary Title (TBA 2015)
World of Final Fantasy (TBA 2016)
Kingdom Hearts III (TBA)

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Business Division IV (Square 1st Production Department No.4)
Mainly focuses on Final Fantasy spin-off and sub-series games.

Corporate Executive
Ichiro Hazama (間一朗)

Notable Works of Business Division IV

Dissidia Final Fantasy (December 18, 2008)
Dissidia Final Fantasy: Universal Tuning (November 1, 2009)
Dissidia 012: Final Fantasy (March 3, 2011)
Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade (January 6, 2012)
Theatrhythm Final Fantasy (February 16, 2012)
Final Fantasy Artniks (November 30, 2012)
Final Fantasy: All The Bravest (January 17, 2013)
Pictlogica Final Fantasy (October 21, 2013)
Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call (April 24, 2014)
Final Fantasy World Wide Words (September 16, 2014)
Final Fantasy Record Keeper (September 24, 2014)
Final Fantasy VII G-Bike (October 30, 2014)
Final Fantasy Artniks Dive (November 10, 2014)
Theatrhythm Dragon Quest (March 26, 2015)
Dissidia Final Fantasy: Arcade (TBA 2015)

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Business Division V (Online Department)
Mainly focuses on Final Fantasy games with MMO gameplay.

Corporate Executive
Naoki Yoshida (吉田直樹)

Notable Works of Business Division V

Final Fantasy XI (May 16, 2002)
Final Fantasy XI: Rise of the Zilart (April 17, 2003)
Final Fantasy XI: Chains of Promathia (September 16, 2004)
Final Fantasy XI: Treasures of Aht Urhgan (April 18, 2006)
Final Fantasy XI: Wings of the Goddess (November 20, 2007)
Final Fantasy XIV (September 30, 2010)
Final Fantasy XI: Seekers of Adoulin (March 27, 2013)
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (August 27, 2013)
Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward (June 23, 2015)
Final Fantasy Grandmasters (TBA 2015)
Final Fantasy XI Mobile (TBA 2016)
Final Fantasy XIV: Version 4.0 (TBA)

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Business Division VI (Enix Production Department No.1)
Mainly focuses on Dragon Quest games.

Corporate Executive
Yu Miyake (三宅有)

Notable Works of Business Division VI

Dragon Quest VII (August 26, 2000)
Dragon Quest VIII (November 27, 2004)
Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker (December 28, 2006)
Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors (July 12, 2007)
Dragon Quest IX (July 11, 2009)
Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light (October 29, 2009)
Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 (April 28, 2010)
NieR (April 22, 2010)
Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry's Wonderland 3D (May 31, 2012)
Dragon Quest X (August 2, 2012)
Bravely Default: Flying Fairy (October 11, 2012)
Dragon Quest VII 3D (February 7, 2013)
Bravely Default: For The Sequel (December 5, 2013)
Dragon Quest Monsters: Super Light (23 January, 2014)
Dragon Quest Monsters 2: Iru and Luca's Mysterious Key 3D (February 6, 2014)
Dragon Quest Heroes (February 26, 2015)
Bravely Second: End Layer (April 23, 2015)
Dragon Quest VIII 3D (August 27, 2015)
Dragon Quest Heroes II (TBA)
NieR 2 (TBA)
Dragon Quest XI (TBA)

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Business Division VII (Enix Production Department No.2)
Mainly focuses on Arcade games and Enix IP other than Dragon Quest.

Corporate Executive
Takamasa Shiba (柴貴正)

Notable Works of Business Division VII

Star Ocean: The Second Story (July 30, 1998)
Valkyrie Profile (December 22, 1999)
Star Ocean 3: Till the End of Time (February 27, 2003)
Drakengard (September 11, 2003)
Radiata Stories (January 27, 2005)
Drakengard 2 (June 16, 2005)
Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria (June 22, 2006)
Lord of Vermilion (June 17, 2008)
Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume (November 1, 2008)
Star Ocean 4: The Last Hope (February 19, 2009)
Lord of Vermilion II (October 27, 2009)
Lord of Arcana (October 14, 2010)
Lord of Vermilion Re:2 (July 26, 2011)
Lord of Apocalypse (December 17, 2011)
Lord of Vermilion III (August 22, 2013)
Drakengard 3 (December 19, 2013)
Lord of Vermilion Arena (June 17, 2015)
School of Ragnarok (TBA 2015)
Star Ocean 5: Integrity and Faithlessness (TBA 2015)

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Business Division VIII
Mainly focuses on Mobile/Browser games.

Corporate Executive

Notable Works of Business Division VIII

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Business Division IX (Square Mobile Department)
Mainly focuses on bringing Final Fantasy games to iOS/Android.

Corporate Executive
Takashi Tokita (時田貴司)

Notable Works of Business Division IX

Final Fantasy I - 20th Anniversary Edition (April 19, 2007)
Final Fantasy II - 20th Anniversary Edition (June 7, 2007)
Final Fantasy Dimensions (September 6, 2010)
Final Fantasy III for Smartphones (March 24, 2011)
Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection (March 24, 2011)
Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions for Smartphones (August 4, 2011)
Chrono Trigger for Smartphones (December 8, 2011)
Guardian Cross (September 13, 2012)
Demons' Score (September 19, 2012)
Final Fantasy IV for Smartphones (December 20, 2012)
Final Fantasy V for Smartphones (March 28, 2013)
Final Fantasy Tactics S (May 28, 2013)
Final Fantasy IV: The After Years - 3D Remake (November 25, 2013)
Deadman's Cross (February 13, 2014)
Final Fantasy VI for Smartphones (January 15, 2014)
Final Fantasy: Crystal of Space-Time (February 12, 2015)
Final Fantasy VII for Smartphones (TBA 2015)

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Business Division X (Enix Mobile Department)
Mainly focuses on creating new IP for iOS/Android.

Corporate Executive
Takehiro Ando (安藤武博)

Notable Works of Business Division X

Song Summoner: The Unsung Heroes (July 8, 2008)
Sliding Heroes (September 24, 2009)
Hills and Rivers Remain (November 26, 2009)
Chaos Rings (April 20, 2010)
Chaos Rings Ω (March 20, 2011)
Moon Diver (March 29, 2011)
Chaos Rings II (March 15, 2012)
Drakerider (July, 23, 2012)
Emperors SaGa (September 18, 2012)
Circle of Mana (March 5, 2013)
Drakerider: Chains Transcendent (June 28, 2013)
Star Ocean: Material Traders (August 23, 2013)
Melpharia March (September 19, 2013)
Rise of Mana (March 6, 2014)
Chaos Rings III (October 16, 2014)
Heavenstrike Rivals (27 April, 2015)

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The End
(Business Divisions XI and XII are so irrelevant to console and handheld gaming, they're not worth mentioning.)

Lulcielid · Nov 11, 2014

Nice finding but i would like some sources.

1Truth2Lies · Nov 11, 2014

Lumina said:

Find the sources yourself. I don't do this shit with unlimited free time, you know? I got other shit to do. LOL! I'm just fucking with you. It's hard for me to find all of the sources, though. When I started this investigation 10 months ago, I never documented the pages I visited for the info, so some I don't remember. Therefore, you asking for sources is basically asking me spend hours trying to rediscover articles from months ago.

If you want sources, you'll have to find them yourself. It might be tricky to find all the info, as you'll need to be able to read Japanese. I'll start you off with some stuff I rediscovered in the past hour. The quotes below mention the info (run it through Google translate if you can't read it; text in red is where it's mentioned).

Ichiro Hazama mentioned as the Division Executive of Business Division 4:

Yoshinori Kitase mentioned as the Division Executive of Business Division 1:

Source

Hajime Tabata mentioned as the Division Executive of Business Division 2:

Source

UPDATE EDIT:

Good news. I've managed to find the interview where Yoshinori Kitase says that Square Enix established a new Business Divisions structure. It was a Famitsu interview about LR FFXIII. Kitase says that the new Business Division structure was introduced in December 2013. I've updated the OP with the info. You can read the full quote below (it's in Japanese, so use Google Translate if you can't read it):

Source

UPDATE EDIT 2:

OK, while I was trying to rediscover some more sources, I stumbled upon blog post made in June 2014 that basically has all the info I discovered written up. I guess somebody else was also investigating the new Business Divisions structure and then posted their findings. They don't provide sources, but I think that the fact that their list is exactly the same as mine should act as some form or corroborated proof that my OP is legit. You can read their full post below (it's in Japanese, so use Google Translate if you can't read it):

Source

Sora96 · Nov 12, 2014

Can you please list #7 through to #12?

And where is the XVI team?

Do you happen to know what happened to the Dissida team?

And lastly, what do you think Kitase & Toriyama are working on?

1Truth2Lies · Nov 12, 2014

Sora96 said:

I'll update the OP with the remaining Business Divisions later.

As for the FFXVI team (FFXII team), they're not accounted for. They're completely absent from the new Business Division structure. For me, that's a big mystery.

The Dissidia team is Business Division 4. Ichiro Hazama is the producer of both the Theatrhythm series and Dissidia series. Also, Mitsunori Takahashi was the director of Dissidia 012 and he's the main director within the division. Basically, Business Division 4 could well be making a third Dissidia right this very moment.

As for what Kitase/Toriyama are working on, I think that it will be either FFX-3, FFVII-2, FFVII Remake, or FFXVII.

Sora96 · Nov 13, 2014

Where is Final Fantasy Explorers? I know a lot of the old Crystal Chronicles staff are working on it.

Also, wouldn't Crisis Core go under division #2? And the original Dissidia under #4?

Sora96 · Nov 13, 2014

1Truth2Lies said:

Personally I hope for X-3 and/or VII remake but I would like them to make a sequel to VII after the remake though. I think that would be for the best, to justify the cost of remaking VII.

1Truth2Lies · Nov 13, 2014

Sora96 said:

I have no idea where Final Fantasy Explorers fits in. I've yet to find any Japanese interviews where the staff involved what Business Division they belong to. Also, from what I've read, there aren't that many Crystal Chronicles staff involved in the game. Matter of fact, Toshiyuki Itahana is the only one so far announced to be working on the game, yet even he's only in a supervisory role.

As for Crisis Core: FFVII, I wouldn't place it in Division #2 because it was made when Tabata was still inside Square Enix Product Development Division 1, which was the former staff structure of Kitase's team. The same can be said about the original Dissidia, which was also developed under Kitase's team.

Sora96 said:

I want FFXVII. They need to start getting these AAA mainline FF games out quicker. FFXV will hopefully release in 2016, FFXVI in 2018, and then FFXVII in 2020.

Sora96 · Nov 13, 2014

1Truth2Lies said:

I thought a lot of the people who worked on The 3rd Birthday and Type-0 worked on Crisis Core.

http://www.siliconera.com/2014/06/20/square-enix-staff-making-final-fantasy-explorers/ Hmmm, you're right. I guess the Crystal Chronicles team is long gone.

1Truth2Lies · Nov 13, 2014

Sora96 said:

No, The 3rd Birthday was mostly outsourced to the company HexaDrive, the same company that's now making Type-0 HD. It wasn't internally developed by Square Enix staff, but the director and supervisor was Hajime Tabata. Also, the Crisis Core: FFVII and Type-0 team are not exactly the same. Some members joined the FFXIII team after Crisis Core: FFVII released.

As for the Crystal Chronicles staff, I'm sure most of them are still at Square Enix. However, them and the FFXVI team (FFXII/Tactics Ogre PSP/The Last Remnant staff) are completely absent from this new Business Division structure. However, Kitase confirmed in February 2014 (two months after this new Business Division structure came into force) that the FFXII team still existed. Therefore, I have no idea why they're not listed in this new structure.

Sora96 · Nov 13, 2014

1Truth2Lies said:

No, The 3rd Birthday was mostly outsourced to the company HexaDrive, the same company that's now making Type-0 HD. It wasn't internally developed by Square Enix staff, but the director and supervisor was Hajime Tabata. Also, the Crisis Core: FFVII and Type-0 team are not exactly the same. Some members joined the FFXIII team after Crisis Core: FFVII released.

As for the Crystal Chronicles staff, I'm sure most of them are still at Square Enix. However, them and the FFXVI team (FFXII/Tactics Ogre PSP/The Last Remnant staff) are completely absent from this new Business Division structure. However, Kitase confirmed in February 2014 (two months after this new Business Division structure came into force) that the FFXII team still existed. Therefore, I have no idea why they're not listed in this new structure.

I see. Well I look forward to divisions #8 to #12.

Sora96 · Nov 13, 2014

"Type-0 was announced in 2006. At the time, only Tabata, Naora and Tetsuya Nomura were on the staff. Work was being done on Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII, so it was only in 2008 that actual development began. Even then, the development team had to work on The 3rd Birthday, so Type-0's development was kept at a minimum level for about a year."

http://andriasang.com/comx85/ff_type_zero_interview/

Sora96 · Nov 13, 2014

Wouldn't division #9 have handled the iOS & Android versions of FFIII, IV & The After Years with Matrix Software?

And I thought the Chaos Rings team handled the crappy iOS & Android ports of FFI & II.

1Truth2Lies · Nov 13, 2014

Sora96 said:

Yes, Business Division 9 did handle those games, I just didn't want to add too many FF ports to Smartphones to their recent works. Now that you've brought it up, I probably now will, as I'm sure other people would ask about it.

All FF ports to Smartphones are done by Business Division 9, as they've all had Takashi Tokita as executive producer. Further still, the purpose of Business Division 10 is to focus on new games, not ports.

Sora96 · Nov 13, 2014

1Truth2Lies said:

Well The After Years was a full 3D remake to be fair.

Ah, I'm just going by Square Enix's product description on the Chaos Rings games as they say "From the creators of FINAL FANTASY & FINAL FANTASY II".

1Truth2Lies · Nov 13, 2014

Sora96 said:

I think that's just referring to the fact it was developed by one of their two Mobile Departments.

Anyway, the real mystery in this new Business Division structure is the complete absence of the FFXVI team (FFXII/The Last Remnant/Tactics Ogre PSP staff). I know a lot of them are worked on FFXIV: ARR, but most left the FFXIV team when the game released in August 2013. So where are they now? My speculation is that the FFXVI team is in fact Business Division 8. However, there's barely any information about this division available online.

However, there's one thing that makes me think the FFXVI team are Business Division 8. I've read somewhere during my 10 month investigation that Business Division 8 are the Cloud Gaming Department. Therefore, if that's the FFXVI team, you can be sure they're developing FFXVI to use Shinra Technologies, which is Square Enix's new cloud gaming technology. Yoichi Wada is the president of Shinra Technologies, so he likely set apart a team to develop games for it. He may have made the FFXVI team make the game using Shinra Technologies. That's just my speculation, though. If I find out any more info about Business Division 8, I'll be sure to post it. That being said, if Business Division 8 is indeed the FFXVI team, you can be sure that Hiroyuki Ito is the Division Executive.

Sora96 · Nov 13, 2014

1Truth2Lies said:

I think that's just referring to the fact it was developed by one of their two Mobile Departments.

Anyway, the real mystery in this new Business Division structure is the complete absence of the FFXVI team (FFXII/The Last Remnant/Tactics Ogre PSP staff). I know a lot of them are worked on FFXIV: ARR, but most left the FFXIV team when the game released in August 2013. So where are they now? My speculation is that the FFXVI team is in fact Business Division 8. However, there's barely any information about this division available online.

However, there's one thing that makes me think the FFXVI team are Business Division 8. I've read somewhere during my 10 month investigation that Business Division 8 are the Cloud Gaming Department. Therefore, if that's the FFXVI team, you can be sure they're developing FFXVI to use Shinra Technologies, which is Square Enix's new cloud gaming technology. Yoichi Wada is the president of Shinra Technologies, so he likely set apart a team to develop games for it. He may have made the FFXVI team make the game using Shinra Technologies. That's just my speculation, though. If I find out any more info about Business Division 8, I'll be sure to post it. That being said, if Business Division 8 is indeed the FFXVI team, you can be sure that Hiroyuki Ito is the Division Executive.

That's a good theory, and one I can buy.

Sora96 · Dec 5, 2014

Rie Nishi should be added to Business Division 3 since she's the producer of the KH series.

1Truth2Lies · Jun 24, 2015

I've updated the OP. The information has been improved using my research obtained from November 2014 until June 2015. I've added info on what each Business Division mainly focuses on, listed more of their notable works including the Japanese release dates, and added a photo of the person at the helm of each division.

Hiroyuki Ito being at the helm of Business Division VIII and it consisting of the FFXII/The Last Remnant/Tactics Ogre staff is my own personal speculation. There's no public info on this division, and the evidence I've assimilated over the years points to Hiroyuki Ito having his own team and the FFXII team still existing, so I've put them in Business Division VIII as a placeholder until more info comes out. Ito helming Business Division VIII is not confirmed. That being said, the info on all the other Business Divisions is 100% confirmed.

Sora96 · Jun 24, 2015

Why are projects from 1994 to 2007 being listed? It was a completely different structure back then.

Also, Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection was division 3.

SE Business Divisions / FF16 Ito Debate goes here & nowhere else

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