{"id":53401,"date":"2025-10-29T02:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-28T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=53401"},"modified":"2025-10-28T18:26:31","modified_gmt":"2025-10-28T09:26:31","slug":"saga-series-composer-kenji-ito-had-a-difficult-time-getting-recognized-as-the-author-of-his-own-work-it-wont-happen-if-you-just-wait","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/saga-series-composer-kenji-ito-had-a-difficult-time-getting-recognized-as-the-author-of-his-own-work-it-wont-happen-if-you-just-wait\/","title":{"rendered":"SaGa series composer Kenji Ito had a difficult time getting recognized as the author of his own work. \u201cIt won\u2019t happen if you just wait\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In anticipation of the FACE to FACE \u201cReturns\u201d -Kenji Ito & Stella Magna-<\/strong> concert, Dengeki Online<\/a> brought together Kenji Ito, composer for the SaGa and Final Fantasy series, and Tsutomu Narita, who composed music for Granblue Fantasy, for an interview. The two veteran musicians and stars of the said concert had a chat about video game music and the difficulties composers face in the industry, while also sharing some advice for up-and-coming composers.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Romancing<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Many game musicians are put in a difficult position when it comes to getting their work recognized. As Narita explains, \u201cit\u2019s really a chicken and egg situation.\u201d No matter how good a composer you are, your future audience will not be able to discover you if the game itself does not become a hit. On the other hand, even if the game is a hit, its fame will not be able to offset a lackluster soundtrack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But even when somebody manages to make a good, memorable soundtrack for a great game, most of the time, the soundtrack ends up taking on a life of its own rather than being tied to the composer\u2019s name. And while the accomplishment of having shaped the memories of many generations of gamers itself is a dream for some, there\u2019s no doubt composers may feel frustrated about not getting the recognition they deserve as individual authors. Ito confesses to having been in a similar position, especially around the time when he left Square to pursue a freelance career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was like that around the time I went independent. The fanbases were extremely divided – even if they knew about SaGa, they had no idea who Kenji Ito was. Or, even if they\u2019d heard of Puzzle & Dragons, the name SaGa didn\u2019t ring a bell. I thought the only way to bridge that gap was to put myself out there,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Romancing<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Rather than just \u201cletting it happen,\u201d throughout his career, Ito kept making efforts to promote his work and name, taking every chance he got, even if it wasn\u2019t directly related to music. \u201cI would use my speaking skills to my advantage, appearing at all kinds of events just so people would be aware of my existence, telling them, Hey, this is the music I made.<\/em> You shouldn\u2019t wait for it to happen. Those are the kinds of grassroots efforts I\u2019ve been making for decades, and I finally feel like it has started to bear fruit,\u201d Ito said.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As he\u2019s getting ready to celebrate 35 years in the industry next year with a big commemorative concert, it seems like both 2025 and 2026 are going to be quite busy for Ito. On top of preparing for the collaborative concert with Narita next month, the composer has also been touring across Japan on his first ever solo piano tour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related articles:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGame directors and producers have too much power in their hands.\u201d Final Fantasy composer says there\u2019s less creative freedom in game music <\/strong><\/a>nowadays<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu says he\u2019s \u201cnever used generative AI, and never will.\u201d Hardship is what makes the creative process rewarding
<\/a><\/strong>
<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SaGa series composer Kenji Ito talks about the struggle game musicians face in gaining recognition for their own work.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":79,"featured_media":53406,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[17],"class_list":["post-53401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-japan-related-news"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"\nSaGa series composer Kenji Ito had a difficult time getting recognized as the author of his own work. \u201cIt won\u2019t happen if you just wait\u201d - AUTOMATON WEST<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"SaGa series composer Kenji Ito talks about the struggle game musicians face in gaining recognition for their own work.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/saga-series-composer-kenji-ito-had-a-difficult-time-getting-recognized-as-the-author-of-his-own-work-it-wont-happen-if-you-just-wait\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"SaGa series composer Kenji Ito had a difficult time getting recognized as the author of his own work. \u201cIt won\u2019t happen if you just wait\u201d - 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