Interview with Masaharu Iwata (RocketBaby - February 2002)

The following interview was carried out by RocketBaby.net, a sadly defunct site that once interviewed numerous game composers. Square Enix Music Online is hosting the interview to avoid it being lost forever.

RocketBaby: At what age did you become interested in music?

Masaharu Iwata: I became interested in music from my early childhood. In high school I started to compose music with my friends. Some early musical influences were Arabesque, Yellow Magic Orchestra, John Foxx, China Crisis, and Bill Nelson.

RocketBaby: How did you get in to the game business?

Masaharu Iwata: I applied for a part-time job at the game company, Bothtec. The first project I worked on was ending music for a game.

RocketBaby: What are some of your memories for your early days in the game business?

Masaharu Iwata: At first I was manipulating music to suit the games. In this way, I learned the work and had many experiences to adopt myself to hardware or tools with flexibility. Long after that I finally was able to compose. Before that, I had little sense of composition.

RocketBaby: How did you meet Hitoshi Sakimoto? What was your first impression of Mr. Sakimoto.

Masaharu Iwata: When the coworkers whom I got acquainted with at Bothtec were making coterie software, Mr. Sakimoto was part of the group. He looked fearful (laughs). Seriously he looked like a grown-up fellow, considering he was a senior high school student.

RocketBaby: What do you think of Mr. Sakimoto's music?

Masaharu Iwata: I think his music is wonderful. I can't imitate his music, because it has a magnificent scale.

RocketBaby: How has your relationship with Mr. Sakimoto changed over the years?

Masaharu Iwata: We haven't worked together recently, but our relationship in our private lives hasn't changed. We are good friends.

RocketBaby: What are some of your thoughts on Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis for the Game Boy Advance?

Masaharu Iwata: I was pleased to work with Mr. Sakimoto again. About sound hardware for GBA, I had much trouble because it was my first experience.

RocketBaby: What is the process you and Mr. Sakimoto use when creating music together?

Masaharu Iwata: We each take charge of a rough portion after looking at the specifications or lists from the clients.

RocketBaby: What was your experience working on the Evolution game series?

Masaharu Iwata: I had worked for about three months and composed about nine pieces of music for Evolution. I was able to produce music with a little bit different color than usual. I troubled Sting because I delivered the music late.

RocketBaby: Another game you made for Sting was Baroque. How was that experience?

Masaharu Iwata: The individuality of the game designer, the requested melodies, and the contents of games were all new experiences for me. It was difficult to grab their sense. I would like to thank Sting and Mitsuhito Tanaka for this game, Treasure Hunter G, and many other games.

RocketBaby: Why do you create music and what inspires your music?

Masaharu Iwata: Because I'm fascinated with game music. Game music fills the deficiencies of games and it has a meaning more than sound. I use my life's experiences for the inspiration of my music.

RocketBaby: Who are some of your favorite game music composers?

Masaharu Iwata: Raphael Gesqua, Nathan McCree, Tim Follin. Because they are individualistic and make music suitable to games.

RocketBaby: You often give your name as REZON in many games. Please tell us the origin of this name?

Masaharu Iwata: It's the name of the car which a hero drove. The hero appeared in a special program for children which was broadcast about ten years ago. I was pleased with the sound of the word, so I began to use the name.

RocketBaby: What are some of your thoughts on the older Ogre games?

Masaharu Iwata: The work gave me a big chance to change dramatically. My favorite work is Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together and the reason is that both the scenario and the game design are profound, but easy to understand.

RocketBaby: How was the experience working on Final Fantasy Tactics? Did you feel any pressure working on a game with Final Fantasy in the title?

Masaharu Iwata: I received a lot of assistance from Square. It was a giant project, so I profited a lot from the experience. And of of course I felt pressure.

RocketBaby: You are credited as sound manipulator on the PlayStation 2's Shadow Hearts. What exactly is a sound manipulator?

Masaharu Iwata: There were the two elements of work: music data translation and sound effect making. It took me about one month to become familiar with the system, because the PlayStation 2 is not much different than the PlayStation.

RocketBaby: What did you of Mr. Hirota's and Mr. Mitsuda's music?

Masaharu Iwata: I sincerely think it's wonderful. I'm not just saying it to flatter them. It was a very interesting procession of work to be able to play their music using the PlayStation 2. The work was troublesome, but it was rewarding.

RocketBaby: What has been your favorite console to work on?

Masaharu Iwata: I have had troubles with every console I have worked on.

RocketBaby: Are you happy with the state and evolution of game music?

Masaharu Iwata: I think it's joyful, because increasing capabilities means widening possibilities.

RocketBaby: What's next for you?

Masaharu Iwata: I'm now working on an arcade game which will be released this year (2002).

RocketBaby: What is your most treasured memory in the game business?

Masaharu Iwata: I have been truly moved every time I've heard the music or effective sounds in the scenes which I made, both good and bad. So my most treasured memory naturally is the time when my music was first played in a game.

RocketBaby: What advice would you give to those who want to create game music?

Masaharu Iwata: I'm not worthy to give advice to anyone, but I think it's the will to achieve something and fortune that leads a man to a hopeful future.

RocketBaby: Any final thoughts?

Masaharu Iwata: I myself am a game fan. Whenever I play games and hear good game music and sound, I feel pleasure and think I have to do my best. From now on I'll do my work with the players in mind.