Originally released for the Super Famicom in 1995, this medieval-themed tactical RPG impressed Square CEO Hironobu Sakaguchi enough to headhunt Matsuno from his job at Quest. Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together is a comeback then, but of the cyclical variety. Regardless, whether due to infection, disaffection or a non-compete clause in his severance package � and other than having a hand in the script for Platinum Games' MadWorld � it appeared as though Matsuno had left game-making for good. The company claimed it was due to illness, while insiders pointed to a growing rift between the producer and other executives. Did Yasumi Matsuno jump or was he pushed? The truth behind the departure of the game designer � whose work includes such heavyweight classics as Vagrant Story and Final Fantasy Tactics � from Square Enix, three quarters of the way through the development of Final Fantasy XII, may never be known.
