Shukuo Ishikawa, former president of Bandai Namco in the late 2000s, passed away on September 9 at the age of 69. Oricon Newsthe developer has released a declaration explaining that she chose to wait until the end of his private funeral to reveal his death.
“We are deeply grateful for the support and kindness shown to him during his life,” Bandai Namco wrote. “The wake and funeral were held privately with close family… and we kindly decline any floral tributes, donations, condolences, or visitation.”
Born on April 15, 1955, Ishikawa joined Namco (before the merger with Bandai) in 1978. He held several positions at the developer, including general manager for research and production. In 1988, he created the arcade game Alligator panic.
TO Namcohas worked as an executive producer on several games, including the original Soul Calibur, Xenosaga (Episodes I and III) and numerous entries from the Tales.
After the merger of Bandai and Namco in 2005, Ishikawa became president of the game division. In 2009, he was appointed president of Bandai Namco Holdings, a position he held until becoming president in 2018. He resigned from the company entirely the following year.
Ishikawa is also credited with Bandai Namco's “IP Axis Strategy,” which emphasized speed and innovation. The plan was developed in response to the company's post-merger difficulties in the late 2000s, and is said to have “significantly improved” Bandai Namco's performance since then.
According to Bandai Namco, there are plans to hold a public memorial ceremony for Ishikawa at a later date.