“In tribute to Rieko Kodama”. On the occasion of the launch in Europe, on October 27, of Sega’s MegadriveDrive mini 2, tribute was paid in the credits of the mini-console to one of the pioneers of the Japanese video game. The editorial thus confirms his death, which occurred on May 9, 2022, at the age of 58.
Developer, producer and graphic designer, she is the first woman to receive the pioneering award in 2019 at the Game Developers Conference, one of the main meetings of industry professionals. Peer recognition of her as the first female video game developer. She has notably worked on cult video games such as Alex KiddSonic Where skies of arcadia.
From graphics to production
He joined Sega in 1984 and remained there throughout his career. She was then one of the few women who worked in the world of video games. One of her first games as a graphic designer is boxing champion he then contributed to the development of Sega’s first console: the SG-100.
Rieko Kodama has worked on the images of the brand’s most important game titles, such as fantasy star or the famous Sonic the Hedgehog and its sequel. He then turned to production with deep fear Where seventh dragon.
Tributes from players moved by his disappearance have multiplied on social networks, such as Kayane, a French professional video game player.
Early in her career, Rieko Kodama worked under the pseudonym Phoenix Rie, a manga character, due to Sega at the time not allowing their designers to work under her real name.
Source: BFM TV
