Keita Takahashi (高橋 慶太, Takahashi Keita, born 1975) is a Japanese game designer and artist, his most notable titles being Katamari Damacy and its sequel, We Love Katamari. The original Katamari game was a surprise hit and was praised for its quirkiness, originality, and charm. Takahashi is married to pianist and composer Asuka Sakai, who has worked with Takahashi on various projects.

Career

Takahashi has stated in numerous interviews that he had no desire for Katamari to be touted as innovative or creative – he simply set out to bring the concept of simple, silly fun back into video gaming.

In an interview, Takahashi announced that he hopes to eventually move on from video games, with an ambition of designing a playground for children. On October 28, 2009, the Nottingham City Council announced during the Gamecity festival that Takahashi was spending a month in the city working on designs for the play area at Woodthorpe Grange. In 2012, Takahashi revealed to an audience that the Nottingham project had been indefinitely postponed, due to budget concerns. He and his wife, Asuka Sakai, formed the company uvula in October 2010 to support his freelance game design career, as well as his playground designs.