Yu Suzuki retires, takes new diminished position at Sega

Sega has revealed that famed designer and producer Yu Suzuki, the mind behind the likes of Virtua Fighter, OutRun, Shenmue, After Burner II, and Virtua Cop has retired from his position as Creative Officer of the AM Plus R&D department.

Recent games to come out of AM Plus during Suzuki’s time there were Psy-Phi and Sega Race TV, which were both arcade releases. Sega Race TV was well received by many, and got some good press, but Psy-Phi was never seen outside of trade shows.

His retirement does not mean he is completely walking away from video games and Sega though, as he will take up a new, albeit somewhat diminished position as manager of AM Plus. Regretfully, this means he will likely no long have a huge influence in what kind of games come from the division.

And so, dreams of Shenmue III now fade even further away.

[Thanks, SegaNerds]