We have some sad news to share with you tonight. It has been announced, via a memorial message that was included in the credits of the SEGA Mega Drive Mini 2 and by a tweet from former Treasure staff member Yosuke Okunari, that SEGA developer Rieko Kodama has passed away at the age of 59.
If you don’t know who she is, she was a graphic designer on multiple games, including Alex Kidd in Miracle World, Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle, Altered Beast, Phantasy Star, Phantasy Star II, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
Kodama was also the director for Phantasy Star IV, as well as the producer for Skies of Arcadia and its Gamecube port, Skies of Arcadia Legends. More recently, she was the producer of the 7th Dragon games and the SEGA AGES project on the Nintendo Switch.
It is unknown what the cause of death was, but SEGA mentions that her passing happened in May. However, the company did not wish to share further details out of respect for her family and their privacy. We hope Kodama rests in peace, and we send our condolences to her family and friends.
