is a video game programmer working for Square Enix (formerly Square), as well as the general manager of the research and development division of the company. He was born in 1965 and joined Square in 1991.
Biography
Games
During the creation of Vagrant Story, Murata and other team members decided that a "real time 3D" was the way to go, though the scale of the game and the heightened expectations that came with it made him feel "uneasy".
Later, while supervising development on Final Fantasy XII, he stated that development and innovation became such a protracted affair that the game was in danger of being technically obsolete upon release, so 70% of their staff was assigned to improve the quality of the game's art assets. In this way, each of the three development priorities (innovation, quality and volume) were all held together, though innovation remained top priority. He also announced that Version 1.1, or Crystal Tools, was finished in September 2007.