The video game community is in mourning as "Dragon Quest" composer Koichi Sugiyama passed away on September 30 at 90 years old.

It was recently reported by the official website of the game series that the cause of his death is due to septic shock.

Square Enix, the Japanese game holding company, left a statement regarding his passing via Nintendo Life, "We would like to express our deepest respect and gratitude for Koichi Sugiyama's achievements during his lifetime."

"The funeral and farewell ceremony was held only by relatives and close relatives. Please refrain from condolences, incense, offerings, flowers, etc. due to the wishes of the bereaved family."

They also added, "We are planning to hold a farewell party with everyone at a later date, but the schedule etc. are undecided. Thank you for your understanding."

His Life Throughout His Career

As stated by the source mentioned above, he became the pioneer of using orchestral composition in the video game industry. Sugiyama led the way with working with live recordings ever since the mid-80s.

And knowing his outstanding contribution to the franchise "Dragon Quest," Sugiyama became an inspiration for many musicians in the video game course. With that, he earned the Person of Cultural Merit by the Japanese government in 2020. The source even took note that his background was originally in creating music for TV shows and movies.

The composer has been involved in controversies in his later years due to his political activism. He was involved with promoting Japanese nationalism and questioned the validity of reports of Japanese war crimes during World War II, per the mentioned outlet.

Rest In Peace, Sugiyama

As mentioned earlier, Sugiyama wrote over 500 pieces of music for the Japanese role-playing video game that spanned over the past decades since 1986‎.

This article also stated that he composed the original "Dragon Quest" main score, which they later used as part of the Tokyo Olympics 2021. The source further reported that Sugiyama's first video game work came from when Square Enix was still called Enix for 1985's "World Golf."

And as he further continues his legacy after death, the composer's last contribution will be out for the unreleased "Dragon Quest" series, "Dragon Quest XII."


May his soul rest in Peace.