Persona Director Receives Newcomer Award After 31 Years in Gaming
Katsura Hashino, the renowned director behind the Persona series, has been honored with a Newcomer Award by the Japanese government, despite his long-standing contributions to gaming.
Katsura Hashino has been in the gaming industry since 1994 and is best known for directing the Persona series. Recently, he received the prestigious Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s New Face Award in the Media Arts Division of the Arts Encouragement Prize from the Japanese government, along with a monetary reward of 800,000 yen (approximately $5,000).
This award was announced in a tweet from Atlus, recognizing Hashino’s work on Metaphor: ReFantazio.
This prize, often associated with newcomers, is given to individuals making significant contributions to the media arts. Despite his lengthy career, Hashino’s recognition as a ’new face’ has sparked some humorous discussions considering the depth of his impact in the gaming industry.
The award highlights the notable contributions that veteran creators continue to make, blurring the lines of traditional categorizations in the industry.
