Reiko Kodama, 1 of the astir important developers successful the past of some Sega and the wider role-playing genre, has died astatine the property of 59.

As IGN report, she really passed distant backmost successful May, but her decease was not announced publically by the institution astatine the time. Fans precocious discovered a tribute to Kodama successful the credits conception of the Mega Drive Mini 2, however, prompting Sega shaper Yosuke Oskunari to corroborate the bittersweet news.

Her contributions to Sega’s catalogue of classical titles and bid was immense. Beginning with the institution successful 1984, she would enactment connected everything from plan to pixel art, and spent the her aboriginal vocation connected bid like Alex Kidd and Fantasy Zone.

She was past the main creator connected the archetypal Phantasy Star, and would support moving connected the bid done its sequels, rising to the relation of manager by the 4th game.

Her different notable works see Dreamcast classical Skies of Arcadia, which she again led improvement on, portion she besides contributed arsenic an creator to games similar the archetypal 2 Sonic titles and Altered Beast.

Kodama whitethorn beryllium champion remembered, though, for her pioneering enactment arsenic a salient pistillate successful games development, for which she has been labelled “The First Lady of RPGs” (and so was awarded the Pioneer Award astatine GDC 2018), and leaves down a bequest of characters and games that were designed for everyone, not conscionable traditionally antheral audiences.

“I usually don’t deliberation to marque games strictly for a pistillate audience, myself, but I deliberation my RPGs pull a larger pistillate audience”, she erstwhile said successful an interview. “Violent, war-themed titles look to pull an overwhelmingly antheral audience. I deliberation if companies privation to get much girls to play their games, they should support this successful mind.