Super Monkey Ball and Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi leaving SEGA along with Daisuke Sato

Two senior members of SEGA are leaving the company – Toshihiro Nagoshi and Daisuke Sato. The development studio behind the Yakuza series, Ryu Ga Gotoku, announced the departure of Nagoshi and Sato in a statement about the company’s future.

Toshihiro Nagoshi is the creator of the Yakuza and Super Monkey Ball series, and in the company’s statement they say that there was a time where “‘Ryu Ga Gotoku’ was basically synonymous with ‘Toshihiro Nagoshi.'” However, Nagoshi is moving on and leaving not only his development studio but also SEGA in general. The reason for his departure is not given in the press release, nor is what he will do next, but he isn’t the only one leaving the company.

Daisuke Sato, a senior producer and designer (also the Executive Manager of Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD), is leaving the company with Nagoshi. He also did not list a reason for leaving, but he has served as head of Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio for over 9 years. He says that he is confident that the studio will thrive without him, and that he is grateful to the fans that supported him and their games for so long.

Check out the company’s full statement here as well as extended comments by Daisuke Sato and Toshihiro Nagoshi.