Katsuras Hashino is developing a legacy in theJRPGgenre for his work as director onPersona 5andMetaphor: ReFantazio.
Having been withAtlussince 1994, Hashino has worked his way up the company as a designer forSin Megami Tensei If…andShin Megami Tensei: Devil Summonerbefore first moving into a directing role for 1999’sMaken X.
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After leading Atlus' P-Studio, he is currently the head of their Studio Zero team. He moved on from thePersonafranchiseto establish the new IP that becameMetaphor. He served as the game’s director and creative producer and worked on creating the game’s original story, which is a lot of hats to wear. For Hashino, though, in aconversationwith formerCapcomdeveloper and current GPTRACK50 President and CEO Hiroyuki Kobayashi, it’s a necessary part of the process.
In a translated quote, Hashino explains the balancing act of being a director and a producer.
I generally prioritize my judgment as a director. This puts me in a position where I have to put even more pressure on myself, but since I’m also the one taking responsibility (producer), I somehow make the numbers balance out. Director Hashino makes unreasonable requests, and producer Hashino somehow manages to make adjustments… that’s how it goes (laughs). That said, I don’t force through selfish requests like “Let’s bring out the author’s personality.”
He adds that he wants to be responsible for managing creative matters through the end of development, but this results in helping each project stay focused from beginning to end.
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The combination of working on a new IP on the Studio Zero team while being in charge of the creative process allowed Hashino’s team to make the decisions necessary forMetaphorto be a success.
One involves the game’s setting in a fantasy world versus the real world we normally see inPersonagames.
Actually, the reason why “Metaphor” was set in a fantasy world was because there was a strong request from the staff. Personally, I think it’s important to think about “how we should approach the current JRPG to the next stage,” and I don’t think about it with a theme in mind.
However, this time, there was a request from the staff, and I thought that a fantasy world would be suitable for a new challenge, so I decided to create it in this form. So, it’s not like I was determined to create a fantasy. In the future, if I make another game and think that “the Sengoku period is the best setting,” it might become a JRPG with a worldview similar to “Sengoku BASARA” (laughs).
Hashino says that the team is pleased with the game’s positive feedback, but he’s also relieved. He understands that there have been some valid criticisms of the game, one that has him and his team questioning if they put enough effort into specific parts of the game.
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It’s feedback that they’ll use on their next project. What that looks like is still up in the air. Hashino hopesMetaphorbecomes a flagship title for Studio Zero, the wayShin Megami TenseiandPersonabecame successes for their teams.
