Update 16/10: Uetmasu clarifies that he will continue composing for video games
Apparently, the news of his retirement has surprised Nobuo Uematsu himself, who has had to take to social networks to clarify his words and give us a cheer: he will continue to be active, composing for videogames, although in a more relaxed way.
He will give a more prominent role to younger composers. Uematsu now wants to focus a bit more on other genres of music, and we are officially interested to hear his future tracks.
<social>https://twitter.com/UematsuNobuo/status/1846363685176201531</social>
[Original]
If you ask 100 people to name their favourite game composer, there's a good chance that Nobuo Uematsu will be in the top three most common answers - or maybe even win the whole thing.
But then again, he has a track record that goes beyond most, having single-handedly created all the most classic Final Fantasy music, from the Chocobo theme to the tunes that greet us in the opening screen, the battle music and of course the legendary Terra's Theme from Final Fantasy VI.
As if that wasn't enough, we also have Uematsu to thank for the music from Chrono Trigger, Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey, among others. More recently, he has also done the theme song for Final Fantasy VII: Remake (Hollow) and the soundtrack for Fantasian.
Now, however, the 65-year-old Uematsu feels it's time to call it a day. A post on X confirms that Fantasian Neo Dimension, which will be released on December 5, will be his last effort as a game composer:
"This is my final project as a composer of video game music. I hope you'll pick it up and play it. Thanks for your support!"
As we've reported throughout the year, Uematsu has said he's starting to feel old, but has kept the door open for smaller contributions to future projects. Unfortunately, this does not seem to be the case anymore. We can only thank him for his incredible contribution to our beloved hobby, and note that his music will live on, especially in future Final Fantasy - which wouldn't be the same without Uematsu's ultra-classic compositions.
<social>https://x.com/Fantasian_EN/status/1846128890856800462</social>