Search by:
company / agency (26)
designer (383)
machine (14)
Concerning the methodology used for the research of the identity of the different people featured in this database, I refer you to this article.
For the database itself, here is a brief presentation and a few explanations of some of the choices I made.
The purpose of this database is to identify the people behind all the visual elements related to video games: illustrations, logos, character design, mecha design, photos, packaging and graphic elements of a game (sprites, backgrounds, portraits, in-game illustrations, etc.).
I try to put online as much information as possible while respecting the artists I'm talking about (and without whom this database would not exist). Some of them wish that this or that element of their true identity remain undisclosed (last name, photos of themselves, Twitter or Facebook account, etc.), so I'll do my best not to break this rule.
The search by artist can be done either by last name (useful when the first name is not known), or by first name (useful in case of a change of last name). It often happens that we do not have the artist's full name, either because they are mentioned by their last name only, or because they sign with their first name or surname only. In addition, cases of family name changes are quite frequent, and grouping together artists with the same first name sometimes leads to find out that the same artist has had two different names.
Regarding Japanese names, if there is already an "official" romanization in an artbook, a website or a Twitter / Facebook / Instagram account, I use it. If there is none, for long vowels, I prefer the use of the macron "ˉ" rather than a "u" or an "h" behind the vowel.
Concerning the release date of the games, I indicate that of the region where the game was first released, within the limit of the information I have. It sometimes happens that a game developed in Japan was first released in the West, but the Japanese release dates of console games as they are listed on the net are generally well sourced (although this is less true for arcade and computer games), which is not the case for Western release dates (or even in other countries too often neglected by video game historians) for all that precedes the 2000s. I include these dates to give a more or less exact chronology of the works of the different artists featured on this website.
Concerning the search engine... uh... yes... one moment please...
Generally speaking, in the staff roll of Japanese games, "character designer" can have several meanings:
_person who lays the foundations for one or more characters (work that is often collective, especially on fighting games).
_person who creates the illustrations of all or part of the characters.
_person in charge of the sprite or the 3D model of one or more characters.
_person who defines the visual style of one or more characters for animated sequences and/or in-game portraits.
_person in charge of several of the above-mentioned functions.
I don't always have enough information to indicate the exact role of the person credited as the character designer, but I'll try to refine everyone's roles over time.
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