Indie studio Rabbit & Bear Studios announced that Studio head Yoshitaka Murayama passed away on February 6 from complications with an undisclosed illness.
Rabbit & Bear Studios is releasing their big Kickstarter funded RPG, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, on April 23, where Murayama served as head developer and writer.
Murayama’s legacy was as the creator of Suikoden, one of the most beloved JRPG series of all time, at Konami. The series began on the PlayStation, with 2D sprites, and was built upon the famous medieval Chinese story Shui Hu Zhuan.
The huge cast of characters, and mature, war-filled storyline spawned two sequels, two prequels, and several spin-offs.
The series has been dormant for the last decade, while Murayama left shortly before Suikoden 3’s release.
In 2020, Murayama, along with Suikoden veteran Junko Kawano and others, formed Rabbit & Bear Studios, and ran a successful Kickstarter campaign to create their own Suikoden-inspired RPG. As a stretch goal, the studio released a side-scrolling prequel, Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising, in 2022.
“We want to maintain his legacy and vision with this game and know that he would have wanted the rich world he has created with Eyuden Chronicle to live on,” states the announcement.
