Sega Veteran And Industry Legend Rieko Kodama Has Passed Away, Aged 59

There’s some incredibly sad news coming out of Japan today – with Sega confirming the legendary game developer Rieko Kodama has passed away at 59 years of age. SEGA producer Yosuke Oskunari revealed Kodama had passed away after a memorial message for Kodama was discovered in the credits of the Mega Drive Mini 2:

Kodama was one of the first females in video game development to make a name for herself and was often associated with Sega’s role-playing games. She’s also been formally recognised as a pioneer of the industry – with her career in game development spanning more than three decades.

Rieko Kodama started out at Sega in 1984 as a graphic designer working on games like Champion Boxing, Alex Kidd, Altered Beast and Sonic the Hedgehog and went on to become a director and producer for series like Phantasy Star and Skies of Arcadia. In more recent years, she worked on the Sega Ages line as the lead producer.

On behalf of the entire community here at Nintendo Life, our thoughts go out to Kodama’s family, friends, and colleagues during this difficult time.