Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu forced to stop work due to ill health

The venerable Japanese composer Nobuo Uematsu has been forced to stop working due to ongoing difficulties with his health.

Uematsu, who is perhaps best known for his work on the Final Fantasy series, announced the news on his personal blog yesterday. He did not describe the specifics of his condition, but confirmed that he would stop working for the rest of the year at least.

This does not appear to be Uematsu's retirement from the games industry, but his return to work will be contingent on an improvement in his health. For that, he would not commit to any specific time-frame.

Uemtasu has worked at Square Enix between 1985 and 2004, in which time he worked on classics like Chrono Trigger and a host of Final Fantasy games. Since then he has worked as a freelancer, mainly on Japanese RPGs such as Lost Odyssey, Blue Dragon and The Last Story.

Thanks to Anime News Network for the translation.