Keita Takahashi (高橋 慶太, Takahashi Keita, born 1975) is a Japanese game designer and artist, his most notable titles being Katamari Damacy and its sequel, We Love Katamari. The original Katamari game was a surprise hit and was praised for its quirkiness, originality, and charm. Takahashi is married to pianist and composer Asuka Sakai, who has worked with Takahashi on various projects.
Keita Takahashi | |
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![]() Takahashi in 2005 | |
Born | 1975 (age 46–47) Moji-ku, Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan |
Alma mater | Musashino Art University |
Occupation | Game designer, artist |
Spouse | Asuka Sakai |
In an interview, Takahashi announced that he hopes to eventually move on from video games, with an ambition of designing a playground for children.[1] On October 28, 2009, the Nottingham City Council announced during the Gamecity festival that Takahashi was spending a month in the city working on designs for the play area at Woodthorpe Grange.[2] In 2012, Takahashi revealed to an audience that the Nottingham project had been indefinitely postponed, due to budget concerns.[3] He and his wife, Asuka Sakai, formed the company uvula in October 2010 to support his freelance game design career, as well as his playground designs.[4]
In July 2011, it was announced that he was joining Tiny Speck's Vancouver team, working on Glitch.[5] After the game shuttered in December 2012, he moved to San Francisco.[6]
In early 2019, the Telfair Museum ran an exhibition at the Jepson Center entitled "Keita Takahashi: Zooming Out", featuring various elements of Takahashi's work. Takahashi worked on designing the exhibits, which included a playable version of the game A͈L͈P͈H͈A͈B͈E͈T͈ with a custom controller.[7][8]
In July 2022, Takahashi announced a new game project.[9]
Year | Game | Role |
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2004 | Katamari Damacy | Director |
2005 | We Love Katamari | |
2009 | Noby Noby Boy | Director, designer |
2011 | Glitch | Designer |
2013 | Tenya Wanya Teens | |
A͈L͈P͈H͈A͈B͈E͈T͈ | ||
2019 | Wattam | |
2021 | Crankin's Time Travel Adventure[10] |
Bandai Namco Holdings | ||
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Defunct |
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Katamari | |
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Games |
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