In an unprecedented announcement today from Bluehole Studio’s own Producer, Tamura Koji, who has overseen the project for TERA’s Console version from day 1, contacted me to let me know that he would be leaving the team, in order to work on other projects. Of course, this isn’t surprising for many in the industry, as producers don’t stay too long on their project, but it was certainly a surprise for players.
Huh Joong-hee will be taking over as Producer of the game, after working closely with Koji as the Client Developer Team Leader, starting December 1st.
Koji sent me a personal video, for the TERA Console Community after working so close with them, that I’d like to share here on Sarumonin.com.
The video says:
“Hi there, I am Tamura Koji. (Producer of TERA Console)
On December 1st, I will be leaving our beloved TERA Console Project. It was a project that burned me for 3 years and I think it was a project that completed me. It was a project that I learned a lot from communicating with many TERA fans around the world and gave me a lot of chances, and it was a project that hit my life with passion.
I think TERA is lovely and a great game. I don’t know when it will be, but if I have a chance after proving myself to the world, I definitely want to make TERA 2. I am grateful, honored, and happy to play this great game.
Thank you.”
I don’t think it has to be said, but I thank Koji every day for the opportunity he gave console players. Working so closely with the community, which is not something we’ll see with the new producer unfortunately (however, the marketing team will be there to fill that role), and giving us hope again for TERA Console. I had my ups and downs with the game personally, and came back because of his vision. I am ensured that the vision for the game will stay as a separate entity, but regardless of this, it will not be the same without Tamura Koji.
When I think TERA Console, I think Tamura Koji. There is not one without the other. He will be missed, and I know I can speak for the community when I say that he gave us an amazing experience that very few games and companies give to the players. Thank you for your incredible hard work, starting from a team of 5 people and increasing it to 30 over the span of 2 years. Working on weekends (without extra pay mind you), to answer players, customer support tickets, or just trying to fix bugs and issues that the community begged for. Thank you, and we will be following you in your future endeavors.
As for Huh Joong-Hee, the new producer is set to start his role on December 1st, with some help from Tamura Koji, but has stated that due to time constraints and the work set in place, communication on places like Discord would be difficult, and likely to not happen at the level that the previous producer offered. Regardless, we wish the new producer good luck, because it’s a heavy job, and we can’t wait to see what the game has to offer in its new hands.
If players want to continue to see Koji’s progress in the gaming industry (he will remain working at KRAFTON, just not Bluehole Studio for TERA Console), make sure to give him a follow on Twitter as well as check him out on YouTube where he often shares development videos and other nice bits of information.
