After a remarkable 29 year tenure at Square Enix, director Tatsuya Kando has announced that he retired from the company this past weekend. On his Twitter account yesterday, Kando revealed he stepped away from the company on May 31st, 2025, and stated he gained “invaluable experience” from his time with the company. With one of his first roles being in animation for the original Final Fantasy VII, Kando has worked on some pretty remarkable and industry-defining titles.
His biggest claim to fame, however, is as the director of the cult classic “The World Ends With You.” Released in 2007 for the Nintendo DS, it quickly rose in prominence for its modern aesthetics, incredible soundtrack, and fascinating twist on the Groundhog Day formula. Kando wouldn’t direct many other games while at Square Enix, but he helmed the mobile title Final Fantasy: All The Bravest, worked on The World Ends With You’s Switch port, and worked as a series director for NEO: The World Ends With You in 2021. Apart from those games, he mostly stuck with animation and art direction for several titles, including most of the Kingdom Hearts series and even Parasite Eve.
“The support from everyone who played the games has been incredibly encouraging, and it served as a driving force that pushed me forward in development every day,” Kando tweeted. “I’m deeply grateful. Thank you so much! Going forward, I will continue doing my best to create enjoyable content that brings smiles to everyone’s faces.”
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Written by Peter Glagowski
Peter has been a freelance gaming and film critic for over seven years. His passion for Nintendo is only matched by the size of his collection.
