Fumito Ueda (上田 文人, Ueda Fumito) is the director, lead designer, and head of Team Ico.

Contents 1 Biography 2 Style 3 Quotes 4 Interviews

Biography Edit

Ueda was born in Tatsuno, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan in 1970. As a child, he stated that he was always fascinated by movement, spending his childhood catching small animals and watching and creating animation. "Basically, I seemed to be interested in things that moved." Art was among his favorite subjects in school and later admitted that, had he not become involved with the gaming industry, he would've likely become a classical artist.

He decided to become a part of the videogame industry two years after graduating from the Osaka University of Arts in 1993. He owned a few Commodore Amiga computers (an A500 and later an A4000), and created a few prototype models for Ico using Lightwave 3D (a software that was exclusive to Amiga computers until 1994).

Before working with Team Ico, Ueda worked with the now-defunct video game company, WARP. He worked as an animator on a survival horror videogame for the Sega Saturn called Enemy Zero (1997).

Style Edit

Ueda's games are characterized by several distinct features. Both Ico and Shadow contain large-scale architecture in the midst of sprawling, desolate environments. Both games also feature partial high dynamic range rendering (HDRR): interior areas look darker from the outside, and outdoor areas look brighter from the inside. The games (especially Shadow) utilize bloom lighting as well; light from especially bright sources is drawn slightly over surrounding foreground materials. In terms of storyline, the player is given only a slight amount of exposition at the outset, and only a little more is revealed by the end of the game. It is largely up to the player to determine where the characters came from, as well as the circumstances that inspired the plot.

Quotes Edit

• "I often import games from abroad and play them. On such occasions, my imagination is sometimes stimulated more as I don't understand the language."
• "I was attracted, not by the idea of playing within a well-constructed set of rules, but by the idea of playing, experiencing, and adventuring within a real world. As a child, what appealed to me more than 'the fun of playing games' was the emotion conveyed by the works I experienced, and the way these works brought their worlds to life."
• "Our personality transpires into our games and the reflection that comes out of it may be considered art. While we do appreciate comments like these, it's not our primary objective. We are here to entertain people."
• "To be honest I just try to make a good game. I try to express things in ways that only video games allow, and I simply pursue what video games can actually show."
• "I would be very happy if video games became a cultural equivalent to movies and music. There are many people who play video games at a young age but stop playing when they get older. I hear about people ‘graduating’ from video games but I hardly hear about those graduating from films or music. I believe this is because video games are acknowledged as immature. If this preconception can be changed it would be most wonderful."
• "It is probably not impossible to move the player's emotions through storytelling. But I feel we would never be able to beat the movies this way."
• "It is better to have a good story, yet we must avoid making gameplay just an obstacle to the progression of the story. We need to find a balance between story and gameplay, and I admit I don't have a solution yet."
• "To create a plot that can be universally accepted, it is best to let players imagine part of the story themselves."
• "Technically clever is good. But it’s not enough."

Interviews Edit

• Guardian Unlimited (August 18, 2005)
• CVG (January 19, 2006)

v • d • e
Characters	Ico (Kazuhiro Shindō) • Yorda (Reiko Takahashi) • The Queen (Misa Watanabe)
The castle	Shadow creatures • Idol gates • Yorda's language • Saving • Revisions from U.S. version
Production & Staff	Fumito Ueda • Kenji Kaido • Sony Computer Entertainment • [Full Credits...]
Soundtrack	Melody in the Mist by Michiru Ōshima & pentagon • You Were There (Stephen Geraghty)
Other media	Demo • Walkthrough • Official Guide Book • Ico: Castle in the Mist by Miyuki Miyabe

v • d • e
Characters	Wander (Kenji Nojima) • Agro • Mono (Hitomi Nabatame) • Dormin (Kazuhiro Nakata, Kyōko Hikami) • Emon (Naoki Bandō)
The colossi	( I • II • III • IV • V • VI • VII • VIII • IX • X • XI • XII • XIII • XIV • XV • XVI ) • Weakpoint sigils • Time Attack • Hard Mode
The Forbidden Lands	Shrine of Worship • Shadow creatures • Save shrines • Fruit trees • White-tailed lizards and other animals
Production & Staff	Fumito Ueda • Kenji Kaido • Kō Ōtani (Roar of the Earth) • Sony Computer Entertainment • [Full Credits...]
Giantology campaign	(Fake discoveries of Phalanx, Valus, Hydrus, Quadratus, Gaius) • Eric Belson (podcasts 1, 2, 3, 4) • IPICP memo
Other media	Demo • "Nico" bonus DVD • Official artbook/guidebook • Collectible figurines • Upcoming film adaptation by Sony Pictures

v • d • e
Characters	Unnamed boy • Trico
The World	Armored knights
Production & Staff	Fumito Ueda • Sony Computer Entertainment • [Credits...]