Masayoshi Soken

1.1. Birth, Childhood, and Education

Soken was born on January 10, 1975, in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico. His family later relocated to Tokyo, Japan, where he spent much of his formative years. Despite his eventual career in music, he pursued higher education at the Tokyo University of Science, where he majored in chemistry. Soken was exposed to music from a very young age, largely due to his parents' musical talents; his father was a professional trumpet player, and his mother taught piano, operating a music school from their home. He later discovered, to his surprise, that his father had contributed to the recordings of the Dragon Quest orchestral suites.

1.2. Early Career at Konami and Square Enix

Instead of pursuing a career in science after his university studies, Soken was hired by Konami in 1998 as a sound editor and designer. At Konami, he worked on the arcade rail shooter Evil Night. In 1998, he transitioned to Square, which later became Square Enix. His early work at the company predominantly focused on sound effect design rather than music composition. He assisted Kenji Ito on sports video games, such as Gekikuukan Pro Baseball: The End of the Century 1999. Soken's debut as a sole composer came with the Japan-exclusive sports game Nichibeikan Pro Baseball: Final League. He also composed for World Fantasista alongside synthesizer programmer Takeharu Ishimoto.

2.1. Final Fantasy XIV Series

Soken's role in the Final Fantasy XIV series is paramount, as he has not only directed its sound but also composed much of its iconic music, actively engaging with fans through various musical endeavors.

2.1.2. The Primals Band Activities

To further connect with the Final Fantasy XIV community and bring the game's music to life, Soken formed "The Primals," a rock band comprising members of the sound team. The band performs music from Final Fantasy XIV at various live events, including the official Fan Festivals. The Primals have released several albums, beginning with Final Fantasy XIV: From Astral to Umbral. The band has also undertaken successful tours, such as "THE PRIMALS Live Tour 2018 - Trial By Shadow -" held in Zepp halls across Japan and at the Yes24 LiveHall in South Korea, with tickets selling out rapidly. In June 2022, they held "THE PRIMALS Live in Japan -Beyond the Shadow-" at Makuhari Messe, which also saw immediate sell-outs.

2.2. Final Fantasy XVI and Other Key Video Game Works

Beyond his central role in Final Fantasy XIV, Masayoshi Soken has contributed significantly to other notable video game titles, demonstrating his versatility as a composer.

In June 2022, it was officially revealed that Soken would serve as the lead composer for Final Fantasy XVI, a highly anticipated title for the PlayStation 5. His work on Final Fantasy XVI garnered numerous accolades, including the Best Original Soundtrack award at the EQUINOX LATAM Game Awards in October 2023, the Best Audio award at the Golden Joystick Awards 2023 in November 2023, and the Best Score and Music award at The Game Awards 2023 in December 2023. Additionally, in March 2024, he received the Music Category's highest honor at the Famitsu Dengeki Game Awards 2023 in Japan for his contributions to the game.

Other key video game titles to which Soken contributed include:

• Drakengard 2 (2005), for which he served as sound designer.
• Front Mission 5: Scars of the War (2005), where he composed "Blue Stream" and was also a sound designer.
• Mario Hoops 3-on-3 (2006), his debut as a lead composer, where he composed and arranged the score with Koji Kondo and Yukio Kaneoka.
• Dawn of Mana (2006), known as Seiken Densetsu 4 in Japan, where he contributed to the soundtrack alongside Kenji Ito and Tsuyoshi Sekito, with the main theme provided by Ryuichi Sakamoto. Soken also arranged several tracks from previous Mana games and performed the electric guitar for his arrangements.
• Elebest (2007), an online game he scored with Ai Yamashita.
• Nanashi no Game (2008), for which he composed under the pseudonym "Luis Noma," and its sequels Nanashi no Game: Me (2009), Noroi no Game: Chi (2009), and Noroi no Game: Oku (2009).
• Lord of Vermilion (2008) and Lord of Vermilion II (2009), for which he was a sound designer.
• Mario Sports Mix (2010), composed with Kumi Tanioka.
• Lord of Arcana (2010), for which he was a sound designer.
• Ikenie no Yoru (2011), composed with Ai Yamashita.
• Drakengard 3 (2014), where he served as a sound editor.
• Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail (2024), an expansion to Final Fantasy XIV.

2.3. Other Musical Contributions

Beyond his prominent roles in major video game titles, Masayoshi Soken has diversified his musical output, contributing to various other projects. He has composed music for Square Enix advertisements, including the sports commercial song "Blue Stream" for Front Mission 5: Scars of the War, which was his only composition in that game. He also participated in a Square Enix pencil commercial where he was comically "beaten up" by two robots, featuring his own music. Soken created the fanfare for Square Enix Music TV, a monthly video feature that discusses new album releases and conducts interviews with Square Enix composers.

For the iTunes-exclusive Square Enix Music Official Bootleg collection, Soken contributed "Dog Street" to the first volume in 2006, and "Languid Afternoon" to the third volume in 2007, under the alias "Sorbonne Soken." In 2009, he composed "Otome no Junjo," the ending theme for the anime Natsu no Arashi! Akinai-chuu. In 2020, he provided the opening theme for "Wasyagana TV," a YouTube channel featuring voice actor Yuichi Nakamura, and also performed the vocals at Nakamura's request. He has also provided theme songs for other projects, such as "N Cafe!!! Nanjo Yoshino to Kataru More - animelo mix" in 2021, "RED BLAZE : BLUE FLAME" for Aina Suzuki's 2nd album "Belle révolte" in 2021, and "Seiyakou" for Yoshino Nanjo's "Journeys Trunk" in 2022.

In June 2022, Soken announced that he had composed new entrance theme music for professional wrestlers: "OTAKEBE...!!" for Pro Wrestling Noah's Akiteru Inamura, and "Princess March" as the new group theme song for Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling. His work also includes sound design for games such as Kamaitachi no Yoru 2 (2002).

4.1. Family Background

Masayoshi Soken's family has a strong musical foundation. His father, Masanori Soken (1940-2013), was a renowned professional trumpet player who served as the principal trumpet player for the NHK Symphony Orchestra. From 1990 to 2005, his father was a professor at the Okinawa Prefectural University. In 2001, he founded the Ryukyu Symphony Orchestra and served as its first representative. Soken's mother taught both electone and piano, and she operated a music school from their family home, providing him with early and consistent exposure to music.

4.2. Health and Cancer Battle Disclosure

During the Final Fantasy XIV Digital Fan Festival in May 2021, Masayoshi Soken made a public announcement that he had been undergoing chemotherapy for cancer treatment throughout most of 2020. He also shared that the cancer was in remission at the time of the announcement. Soken intentionally kept his health condition hidden from most of the development team to avoid causing them concern. Throughout his treatment, he continued to work on Final Fantasy XIV from his hospital room, a testament to his dedication. This was facilitated by Square Enix president Yosuke Matsuda and Final Fantasy XIV producer and director Naoki Yoshida, who arranged for him to have the necessary setup to continue his creative process from the hospital. He also stated his intention to keep his illness a secret from users to prevent them from worrying about him.

4.3. Public Image and Aliases

Masayoshi Soken maintains a distinct public image and has adopted several aliases throughout his career. He has been credited under pseudonyms such as "Sorbonne Soken" and "Luis Noma," the latter used for works like the Nanashi no Game series. He is also known for his self-proclaimed nickname "Nii Soken," which is linked to his stated fondness for knee-high socks. Furthermore, Soken is recognized for his skill as an Otamatone player, an electronic musical instrument known for its distinctive sound. He is an official member of the band "The Primals."