Takato Utsunomiya
Takato Utsunomiya (Japanese: 宇都宮崇人 Utsunomiya Takato) is a representative director and the chief operating officer (COO) of The Pokémon Company.[2][3][4] He is credited as a producer for most of the Pokémon games and apps that have been released since 2011.
History
Utsunomiya was born on January 25, 1979 in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan.[5][6] He graduated from Taisei Senior High School (now Sophia Fukuoka Senior High School) in 1997, and entered the Faculty of Law at the University of Tokyo that same year.[7] He graduated in 2002, and joined the American consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton as a management consultant. In May 2005, Utsunomiya joined The Pokémon Company.[8] Before becoming the COO of the company in 2017, he became an executive officer in 2010 and a managing executive officer in 2014.[6] He also worked as the head of the business unit of Pokémon Center Tokyo and as the project manager for Pokémon GO.[9][10] He has appeared as a host of every Pokémon Presents since February 2021.
Utsunomiya is a 2-dan in shogi.[6] After not having played the game since he was a student, the app Shogi Wars rekindled his interest in the game, which ultimately led to the development of Pokémon Duel, an app created in partnership between The Pokémon Company and HEROZ, the developers of Shogi Wars.[11]
Game credits
- Pokédex 3D (2011) - Special Thanks
- Pokémon Conquest (2012) - Producer
- Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 (2012) - Special Thanks
- Pokémon Dream Radar (2012) - Special Thanks
- Pokédex 3D Pro (2012) - Special Thanks
- Learn with Pokémon: Typing Adventure, European version (2012) - Special Thanks
- Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity (2012) - Producer
- Pokémon Rumble U (2013) - Producer
- Pokémon X and Y (2013) - Producer
- Pokémon Battle Trozei (2014) - Producer
- The Thieves and the 1000 Pokémon (2014) - Special Thanks
- Pokémon Art Academy (2014) - Development Consultants (The Pokémon Company)
- Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS (2014) - Supervisor (Original Games)
- Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire (2014) - Producer
- Super Smash Bros. for Wii U (2014) - Supervisor (Original Games)
- Pokémon Shuffle (2015) - General Producer (The Pokémon Company)
- Pokémon Rumble World (2015) - Special Thanks
- Pokkén Tournament (2015) - Producer (The Pokémon Company)
- Pokémon Shuffle Mobile (2015) - General Producer (The Pokémon Company)
- Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon (2015) - Producer
- Pokémon Picross (2015) - Special Thanks
- Detective Pikachu – Birth of a New Duo (2016) - Producer
- Pokémon Duel (2016) - General Producer (The Pokémon Company)
- Pokémon Sun and Moon (2016) - Producer
- Pokémon: Magikarp Jump (2017) - General Producer
- Pokkén Tournament DX (2015) - Producer (The Pokémon Company)
- Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon (2017) - Producer
- Detective Pikachu (2018) - Producer
- Pokémon Quest (2018) - General Producer
- Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! (2018) - General Producer
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018) - Original Game Supervisor (The Pokémon Company)
- Pokémon Rumble Rush (2019) - General Producer
- Pokémon Masters/Pokémon Masters EX (2019) - General Producer (The Pokémon Company)
- Pokémon Sword and Shield (2019) - General Producer
- Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX (2020) - Producer
- Pokémon Café Mix/Pokémon Café ReMix (2020) - General Producer (The Pokémon Company)
- New Pokémon Snap (2021) - Producer (The Pokémon Company)
- Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl (2021) - General Producer
- Pokémon Legends: Arceus (2022) - General Producer
- Pokémon Scarlet and Violet (2022) - General Producer
- Pokémon Sleep (2023) - General Producer (The Pokémon Company)
- Detective Pikachu Returns (2023) - General Producer
Anime credits
- The Rise of Darkrai - 2007 Pikachu Project (The Pokémon Company)
- Zoroark: Master of Illusions - 2010 Pikachu Project (The Pokémon Company)
- White—Victini and Zekrom and Black—Victini and Reshiram - 2011 Pikachu Project (The Pokémon Company)
- Kyurem vs. The Sword of Justice - 2012 Pikachu Project (The Pokémon Company)
- Genesect and The Legend Awakened - 2013 Pikachu Project (The Pokémon Company)
- Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction - Pikachu Project (The Pokémon Company)
- Hoopa and the Clash of Ages - Pikachu Project (The Pokémon Company)
- Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel - Pikachu Project (The Pokémon Company)
- I Choose You! - Pikachu Project (The Pokémon Company)
- The Power of Us - Pikachu Project (The Pokémon Company)
- Mewtwo Strikes Back—Evolution - Pikachu Project (The Pokémon Company)
- Secrets of the Jungle - Pikachu Project (The Pokémon Company)
- A Ripple in Time - Special Thanks
References
- ↑ Pokémon Presents | 8.8.2023 - YouTube
- ↑ Company Information - The Pokémon Company
- ↑ You can even talk with Pikachu! Pokémon's first app for AI speakers to be released by the end of the year! - Famitsu App
- ↑ 'Our goal is to keep Pokémon alive for hundreds of years': Pokémon's chief's plans for Pikachu and pals - The Guardian (archived)
- ↑ NoMaps speaker profile
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 very50 director profile (archived)
- ↑ Sophia Fukuoka Junior-Senior High School Alumni Association Taiseikai - Alumni Association 60th Anniversary Ceremony and Gala leaflet
- ↑ Utsunomiya's LinkedIn profile
- ↑ Thinking with Pokémon: "How to Enrich the Real World and the Virtual World" - Japan Initiative
- ↑ Marketing Agenda 2019 attendee profile
- ↑ A direct interview about Pokémon's latest game app for smartphones, Pokémon Comaster - Famitsu App