The Team
President
Jun Iwasaki (J.I.) brings nearly 15 years of experience in international marketing to his position as President of XSEED JKS, Inc. As the former President and CEO of Square Enix, Inc., Iwasaki was responsible for the day-to-day management of the company's business operations, including business development, marketing, brand management, product planning, sales, localization, quality assurance and online gaming. Iwasaki played a key role in introducing the world-renowned FINAL FANTASY video game franchise to North American gamers in 1997 when Square launched FINAL FANTASY VII on the PlayStation game console.
Iwasaki joined Square Soft, Inc. (US subsidiary of Square Co., Ltd., Tokyo) in December 1995 with one mission: to sell over one million units of FINAL FANTASY VII in North America. Iwasaki worked closely with PlayStation (Sony Computer Entertainment America) on promoting and marketing the title. As a result, in 1997, FINAL FANTASY VII became the first million-unit selling title in PlayStation history in North America.
After the success of FINAL FANTASY VII, Iwasaki was appointed President and CEO in 1998 and has since overseen the launches of other Square hits including FINAL FANTASY VIII, FINAL FANTASY IX, FINAL FANTASY X, Kingdom Hearts, Parasite Eve, Chrono Cross, Vagrant Story and others. In April 2003, Square Co., Ltd. and Enix Corporation, two of the video game industry’s leading companies, merged to form a new entity, Square Enix Co., Ltd. As president and CEO of the North American subsidiary, Square Enix, Inc., Iwasaki continued to oversee all aspects of business operations until his departure in August, 2004.
Finance
Kenzo Nogimura
As the former Sr. Vice President & CFO of Square Enix, Inc., Kenzo was the man behind all the numbers, making sure that the US operations always stayed in the black. He is also a CPA, with 10 years of experience in Deloitte & Touche's auditing department.
Sales
Sean Montgomery
Sean has extensive experience in the retail market. As the former head of North American sales of Square Enix, Inc., Sean was responsible for maintaining and growing sales of over $100M annually and oversaw the transition of creating a new sales team and distribution model after the dissolvement of Square EA, a joint venture between Square and Electronic Arts.
Public Relations and Events
Kyoko Yamashita
As the former Marketing Communications Manager of Square Enix, Inc., Kyoko was in charge of creating and implementing the public relations campaign of all titles released in North America. She is also a wizard at event planning and management, having arranged in 2004 two firsts for the company in the U.S.; a Square Enix Press Conference as well as the first-ever US FINAL FANTASY concert performed by the LA Philharmonic to a sold-out crowd.
Marketing
Kenji Mimura
As the former Marketing Manager of Square Enix, Inc., Kenji created the marketing campaigns for all titles, including managing the huge budgets that would come with each new iteration of FINAL FANTASY. Kenji was also in charge of arranging the Square Enix booth each year for the Electronic Entertainment Expo, the largest trade show of video games in the world.
Business Development
Ken Berry
As the former Business Development Manager of Square Enix, Inc., Ken's recent projects included overseeing all promotional and partner activities leading up to the successful launch of FINAL FANTASY XI Online in the US, as well as being a key member in arranging their entry into the US mobile gaming market.
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