Sad news to start Thursday. Through a memorial message that appears in the credits of Mega Drive Mini 2, SEGA has confirmed that Rieko Kodama has passed away at the age of 59.. We are talking about one of the most important developers not only of the Japanese company, but of the history of the video game industry in general.
Kodama has not died recently, but we have learned the news now because they have wanted to respect the family’s privacy from the Japanese company. The developer left us last May, and the producer Yosuke Oskunari has confirmed the loss in the last few hours after the commemorative message was discovered on the miniature console.
As you understand it. We respect her.
— Yosuke Okunari / 奥成洋輔 (@okunari) October 27, 2022
A pioneering woman in the industry
Rieko Kodama was over 30 years at SEGA and she was one of the first renowned female developers, a true pioneer in the industry. “We pray that the deceased rest in peace, and offer our gratitude for her enormous contributions to SEGA,” she said from SEGA Japan in a message that has been translated by Golden News Japan.
He worked for more than 30 years at SEGA
Kodama started in 1984 at SEGA dealing with classic franchises who have gone down in the history of this audiovisual medium, beginning as an artist in titles such as Alex Kidd In Miracle World or Sonic and known for her much more palpable work in series like the phantasy star saga or Skies of Arcadia, where she worked as a producer.
Finally, the staff credits include a memorial message for Rieko Kodama. She started as an artist on games such as Alex Kidd In Miracle World, Phantasy Star and Sonic The Hedgehog, and was the producer for Skies Of Arcadia, 7th Dragon and most recently the Switch Sega Ages games. pic.twitter.com/v6xk8oUNYO
—Nick Thorpe (@HKT3030) October 26, 2022
At 3DJuegos we have talked about Rieko Kodama on more than one occasion over the last few years. The Japanese made headlines in 2019 by try the future of Skies of Arcadiaone of the most beloved video games of the era of dream cast. Precisely about that console was later published a fascinating documentary where Kodama herself participated, leaving us some of the most interesting details of the creation and failure of the ill-fated SEGA machine.
