View source for Naoto Ohshima

{{Short description|Japanese video game designer and artist (born 1964)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Naoto Ohshima
| native_name        = 大島 直人
| image              = Naoto ohshima gdc 2018.jpg
| caption            = Ohshima in 2018
| birth_date         = {{birth date and age|1964|02|26}}
| birth_place        = [[Osaka]], Japan
| other names        = Big Island
| employer           = {{ubl|[[Sega]] (1987–1999)|[[Artoon]] (1999–2010)|[[Arzest]] (2010–present)}}
| occupation         = Character designer, [[game producer]]
}}
{{nihongo|'''Naoto Ohshima'''|大島 直人|Ōshima Naoto}} (born February 26, 1964) is a Japanese [[video game designer]] and artist, best known for designing [[Sonic the Hedgehog (character)|Sonic the Hedgehog]] and [[Dr. Eggman]] from [[Sega]]'s ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' franchise.<ref>{{cite web|last=Sheffield|first=Brandon|url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/out-of-the-blue-naoto-ohshima-speaks|title=Out of the Blue: Naoto Ohshima Speaks|website=[[Gamasutra]]|date=2009-12-04|access-date=2014-07-21}}</ref><ref name="1up.com"/> Although [[Yuji Naka]] made a tech demo around which ''Sonic''{{'s}} gameplay was based, the character in his prototype was a ball that lacked any specific features and was based on Ohshima's game proposal.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Sonic's Architect: GI Interviews Hirokazu Yasuhara|magazine=[[Game Informer]]|issue=124|volume=13|date=August 2003|pages=114–116}}</ref> [[Sonic Team]] considered numerous potential animal mascots before deciding on Ohshima's design, with an armadillo or hedgehog being the top choices because their spikes worked well with the concept of rolling into enemies.<ref name="1up.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.1up.com/features/essential-50-sonic|title=The Essential 50 Part 28 - Sonic the Hedgehog|website=[[1UP.com]]|access-date=2014-07-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170328053950/http://www.1up.com/features/essential-50-sonic |archive-date=March 28, 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

After leaving Sonic Team, Ohshima formed an independent game company called [[Artoon]] in 1999. There he went on to work on such games ''as [[Pinobee]]'' (2001), ''[[Blinx: The Time Sweeper]]'' (2002), and ''[[Blinx 2: Masters of Time & Space]]'' (2004). In 2010, Artoon was absorbed into [[AQ Interactive]], and Ohshima and other key members of Artoon left to form [[Arzest]]. Early in his career, he was credited under the nickname "Big Island" in a number of games, which is a literal translation of his [[family name]].{{cn|date=February 2025}}

==Works==
{| class="wikitable sortable" width="auto"
! scope="col"|Year
! scope="col"|Game
! scope="col"|Role
|-
! scope=row | 1987
|''[[Phantasy Star (video game)|Phantasy Star]]'' 
|Designer
|-
! scope=row rowspan="2" |1988
|''[[Space Harrier 3-D]]''
|Artist
|-
| ''[[SpellCaster (video game)|SpellCaster]]'' 
|rowspan="3" |Designer
|-
! scope=row rowspan="3" |1989
| ''[[Phantasy Star II]]'' 
|-
| ''[[Tommy Lasorda Baseball]]''
|-
|''[[Last Battle (video game)|Last Battle]]''
| Art director
|-
!1990
|''[[Fatal Labyrinth]]''
|Designer
|-
!1991
| ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (1991 video game)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' 
|Creator, Character designer
|-
! scope=row|1993
|''[[Sonic CD]]''
|Director
|-
! scope=row | 1995
|''[[Knuckles' Chaotix]]''
|Original character concept
|-
! scope=row rowspan="2" |1996
|''[[Nights into Dreams]]''
|Director, character designer
|-
|''[[Sonic 3D Blast]]''
|Advisor
|-
! scope=row rowspan="2" |1997
|''[[Sonic Jam]]''
|Supervisor
|-
|''[[Sonic R]]'' 
|Graphic advisor
|-
! scope=row rowspan="2" |1998
|''[[Burning Rangers]]''
|Director, character designer, graphic artist
|-
|''[[Sonic Adventure]]''
|Event motion designer, story event coordinator
|-
! scope=row|2001
|''[[Pinobee: Wings of Adventure]]''
|Director, character designer
|-
! scope=row rowspan="3" |2002
|''The King of Fighters EX: Neo Blood''
| Art director
|-
|''Ghost Vibration''
|Game designer
|-
|''[[Blinx: The Time Sweeper]]''
|rowspan="2" |Director, game designer
|-
! scope=row rowspan="2" |2004
|''[[Blinx 2: Masters of Time and Space]]''
|-
|''[[Yoshi's Universal Gravitation]]''
|Producer
|-
! scope=row rowspan="2" |2006
|''[[Yoshi's Island DS]]''
|Senior producer
|-
|''[[Blue Dragon (video game)|Blue Dragon]]''
| Executive producer
|-
! scope=row|2007
|''[[Vampire Rain]]''
|Producer
|-
! scope=row|2008
|''[[Away: Shuffle Dungeon]]''
|Producer, character designer
|-
!2009
|''[[Ju-On: The Grudge (video game)|Ju-On: The Grudge]]''
|Chief producer
|-
! scope=row rowspan="2" |2010
|''[[FlingSmash]]''
|Senior producer
|-
|''[[Echoshift]]''
|Producer
|-
!2011
|''[[Wii Play: Motion]]''
|Director
|-
! scope=row|2014
|''[[Yoshi's New Island]]''
| Development producer
|-
! scope=row|2015
|''[[Terra Battle]]''
|Special character illustration
|-
! scope=row|2016
|''[[Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games]]''
| Supervisor
|-
! scope=row|2017
|''[[Hey! Pikmin]]''
|Development producer
|-
! scope=row|2021
|''[[Balan Wonderworld]]''
|rowspan="2"|Development producer, character designer
|-
! scope=row|2023
| ''[[Sonic Superstars]]''
|-
! scope=row|TBA
| ''[[Hypergalactic]]''
|Writer
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==

{{refbegin}}

* {{Cite web |last1=Hester |first1=Blake |title=Sonic the Hedgehog's long, great, rocky history |work=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |date=2016-02-08 |url=https://www.polygon.com/2016/2/8/10756318/sonic-the-hedgehog-great-rocky-history |access-date=2018-06-24 |df=mdy-all }}
* {{Cite web |last1=McWhertor |first1=Michael |title=The origins of Sonic the Hedgehog |work=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |date=2018-03-21 |url=https://www.polygon.com/2018/3/21/17149990/sonic-the-hedgehog-history-gdc-naoto-oshima-hirokazu-yasuhara |access-date=2018-06-24 |df=mdy-all }}

{{refend}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
*{{Twitter|id=NaotoOhshima}}
*[http://www.sega-16.com/2012/01/sega-stars-naoto-oshima/ Sega Stars: Naoto Ohshima]

{{Artoon}}
{{Sonic Team}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ohshima, Naoto}}
[[Category:1964 births]]
[[Category:Japanese video game designers]]
[[Category:Japanese video game directors]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Sega people]]
[[Category:Japanese video game artists]]
[[Category:Artists from Osaka]]