Nihon-Falcom, the studio most known for developing RPG franchises such as Ys and The Legend of Heroes, has lost its leader, as its founder and former president, Masayuki Kato, died at age 78.
The announcement was made on the company's website, where a letter was penned to address the announcement formally. It also mentioned that a farewell event of some sort is planned, though there's no date for it yet.
Nihon-Falcom Founder Masayuki Kato Dies At 78
We've included an excerpt of the letter, which has been translated below via DeepL:
The company's announcement also mentioned how Kato's family wishes the wake and the farewell ceremony to be held only with the next of kin. They also respectfully decline any condolences, flowers, offerings, incense, and the like as well.
The letter also mentions that a "farewell party" will be held later, though details of this have yet to be determined.
Masayuki Kato founded Nihon-Falcom back in 1981. Star Wars' Millenium Falcon inspired the name Falcom, though Kato changed the "n" to "m" to fit the naming trends at the time. While Nihon-Falcom primarily focused on PC games, that changed in the 2000s when the company started to release...
