Today, Final Fantasy XV Art Director Isamu Kamikokuryo announced on Twitter that he left Square Enix, also expressing his gratitude for the opportunity to work with so many talented professionals.

"Yesterday, I left Square Enix as of March 31st. Since I joined in 1999, it has been a little over eighteen years. It was a wonderful experience going from concept artist on Final Fantasy X until Final Fantasy XV. I am grateful to the company for the opportunity to encounter so many talented people."

Kamikokuryo-san also talked about his plans for the future.

"While I feel a bit hesitant, I'd like to dedicate myself to drawing from now on. While doing art director work as a freelance in the future, I'd like to resume my artist activities. To all the staff and the users who supported me for a long time, I'm really thankful."

Kamikokuryo-san's career at Square Enix began with Final Fantasy X, continuing as Art Director on Final Fantasy XII, Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy XIII-3, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy XV.

He isn't the first Art Director to leave the company in recent times, as Yosuke Naora, who also worked in the same capacity on Final Fantasy XV, left at the end of September. This is actually quite normal at the end of a large project spanning several years, as artists look for different opportunities and inspiration.

Of course, we'll keep track of what Kamikokuryo-san does next, with gratitude for the amazing work he did on the games we loved in the past several years.