Obituary: Shukuo Ishikawa, ex-Bandai Namco president, passes away at age 69

Shukuo Ishikawa, a former president for Bandai Namco in the late 2000s, passed away at 69 years old on September 9. Per Oricon News, the developer released a statement explaining it chose to wait until after his private funeral to reveal his death.

"We are deeply grateful for the support and kindness shown to him during his lifetime," wrote Bandai Namco. "The wake and funeral were held privately with close relatives...and we kindly decline any floral tributes, offerings, condolences, or visits."

Born April 15, 1955, Ishikawa joined Namco (pre-Bandai merger) in 1978. He worked several positions at the developer, including managing director for research and production. In 1988, he created the arcade game Gator Panic.

At Namco, he served as an executive producer on several games, including the original Soul Calibur, Xenosaga (Episodes I and III), and multiple Tales entries.

After Bandai and Namco merged in 2005, Ishikawa became president of its games division. By 2009, he was appointed president of Bandai Namco Holdings, a position he held until becoming chairman in 2018. He fully stepped down from the company the following year.

Ishikawa is also credited with Bandai Namco's "IP Axis Strategy," which emphasized speed and innovation. The plan was made in response to the company's post-merger struggles 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 service for Ishikawa at a later date.