Interesting post by Naoki on Facebook...

https://www.facebook.com/NAOKIMAEDA428/posts/454005357945210

He's also no longer listed as working for Konami.

Hmm...

Yeek. Hopefully DDR will still stick around, and U1, jun, and TAG can keep it alive... I'd say it's in capable hands. And I look forward to seeing what Naoki produces next...

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WHAT!?

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Looks like he's moved on from Konami to make his music big-time. It'd be interesting to hear what he has to make, but it looks like TAG, U1 and jun have some pretty big shoes to fill if DDR will go on after this.

I've never known about this.

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While it might say that from his Facebook page, it has not been fully confirmed that he has left Konami.

Still though, that post is pretty odd

I do hope that if he does leave he branches out to do bigger and better music projects, as well as letting U1, jun/ TAG, and possibly brand new BEMANI artists take the helms of DDR and pass it on to keep it going.

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Well now im just wondering what happens to TERRA now.

Please Don't Go, Naoki...

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*lowers glasses* Now that IS interesting...

If it's true that Naoki is leaving Konami, I wish him the best. Hopefully he continues to make awesome music. At least to me, it seems like Konami has been easing us into this by adding more music from other in-house artists, like the aforementioned TAG, U1, and jun. I still hope that all of Naoki's music will stay in DDR, as it should and probably will; I don't think DDR could survive if all Naoki's music was removed.

Good luck, Naoki, wherever your path may lead you!

I feel like he died. This is so sad for me.

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This is what Konami does with musicians though, they're practically their own label. Konami hires or creates talent and when that talent matures, they move on. If Naoki really is leaving to do his own thing that's kind of a kick to the gut, but that's also something you want to see happen.

Naoki also wrote a similar message in TËЯRA's facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TERRAOFFICAL/posts/456206941057697

And I thought they were great news, but now with this interpretation, I don't know what would happen

That would be terrible. Basically between a third and a half of the remaining songs (assuming all of his other-alias songs were removed as well) would be cut from the next AC installment if that were to happen. I don't think that this could happen. Could you imagine DDR without any PARANOiA, TRIP MACHINE, MAX and possibly TERRA songs? Neither can I.

Best of luck NAOKI. We'll miss you!

This doesn't surprise me that much considering NAOKI has been making less and less songs for DDR lately.
We need not worry about the future of DDR, I think TAG has shown he is a great sound director for DDR and there is no way they would remove NAOKI's songs from future mixes.

But has he really been making less songs? It seems like around original 10 songs per mix as usual. Many of his songs debut on home versions though lately, and under tons of different pseudonyms.

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Yeah, Naoki is still composing around 8 songs per DDR mix (except for DDR X), though he doesn't arrange most of them anymore.

Is there a real confirmation of him leaving Konami? That rather cryptic message doesn't really confirm anything...

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If that were to happen, KONAMI might as well pull a DDRMAX and start a whole new generation of DDR. Brand new look, brand new soundtrack, brand new in general.

I'm not saying anything yet until I get some conformation. If this is true then.... I don't know what to think.

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If it's true he's leaving, he always could show up again in future games at least as a commissioned artist, just like it happened with Tatsh.

dj nagureo also did the same thing, and that's why all of his songs after 1999 were removed from bemani games.