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Obituary: Tetsuhisa Seko, Nippon Ichi president, has died at age 54Obituary: Tetsuhisa Seko, Nippon Ichi president, has died at age 54

During his time at Nippon, Seko managed its business operations over several decades and led its international-focused offshoot, NIS America.

Justin Carter, Contributing Editor

January 24, 2025

1 Min Read
Headshot of the late Nippon Ichi Software president, Tetsuhisa Seko.
Image via Nippon Ichi Software.

Nippon Ichi Software (NIS) president Tetsuhisa Seko passed away this week at 54 years old.

In a translated statement, the company expressed "deep gratitude for the kindness shown to us during his lifetime." It also provided a short timeline of his game industry tenure, beginning with his start at SNK in 1993. He joined Nippon in 2002 and was promoted to general manager of its business operations in 2005.

By 2019, Seko became senior managing director, and was also director for Nippon's American division. In 2023, he was appointed as president and representative director for the publisher.

Seko's game credits include The Last Blade: Beyond the Destiny, Blazing Star, and several Disgaea titles. Phantom Brave: The Last Hero, which releases next week on January 30, will be one of the final games he oversaw prior to his passing.

As an SNK alum, this is the publisher's second loss this week: Tsuda Eiji, who voiced Takuma Sakazaki in King of Fighters and Buriki One's Jacques Dugarry, passed on January 20.

A funeral service for Seko will be held on Wednesday, January 29.

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About the Author

Justin Carter

Contributing Editor, GameDeveloper.com

A Kansas City, MO native, Justin Carter has written for numerous sites including IGN, Polygon, and SyFy Wire. In addition to Game Developer, his writing can be found at io9 over on Gizmodo. Don't ask him about how much gum he's had, because the answer will be more than he's willing to admit.

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