Chief Technology Officer and Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn Technical Director Yoshihisa Hashimoto has left Square Enix, the company confirmed to Game Watch today. The exact date of his departure is unknown, though it is said he left for “personal reasons.”

Hashimoto signed on at Square Enix back in 2009 after he left Sega, having previously worked on Sonic Team’s Hedgehog Engine and taking up the director’s role for Sonic Unleashed. From there he helped launch Square Enix’s next generation game engine under the Luminous Studio, which was first revealed to the public alongside the Final Fantasy tech demo “Agni’s Philosophy” at E3 2012. He also assisted with the re-launch of Final Fantasy XIV by spearheading a brand new custom engine, helping the team create a MMO scalable for both console and a variety of PCs.

Hashimoto’s replacement is said to be Remi Driancourt, a senior R&D engineer from Square Enix’s technology department who has been with the Luminous team for some time now. According to the article Luminous Engine is still being used for the development of Final Fantasy XV and work continues despite Hashimoto’s departure. It remains, however, unknown if the engine is yet complete.