Nao Higo
Vice President, Product Development at Ubisoft- Claim this Profile
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English Native or bilingual proficiency
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Japanese Professional working proficiency
Topline Score
Bio
Catalina Quijano
I have the pleasure of working with Nao Higo on our most recent high-profile project, Rocksmith. Highly focused, intensely professional, and demanding only the highest quality, he is respected by his colleagues who want to deliver their best under his leadership. Exacting as he is, he is very generous, with a gift of humor that never wavers, even when the pressure is on. I look forward to working with him on many more titles.
Marc Fortier
I worked with Nao as he led the core team for Ubisoft's Rocksmith. I'll always be amazed by his determination and ability to maintain a tight grip on the project, which was a hotbed for new and unpredictable elements. As if managing a new IP, establishing Ubisoft San Franciso's first in-house console development studio, and putting together a hybrid team of internal and outsourced developers wasn't enough to deal with, Nao also had to solve the multitude of hardware and licensing challenges intrinsic to an innovative music game like Rocksmith. I'm not sure how many miracles he conjured up throughout the production, because Nao operated like a sniper, picking off obstacles before the team was even aware of them. That's just a handful of reasons why Nao is far and away the most fearless Producer I've ever worked with.
Catalina Quijano
I have the pleasure of working with Nao Higo on our most recent high-profile project, Rocksmith. Highly focused, intensely professional, and demanding only the highest quality, he is respected by his colleagues who want to deliver their best under his leadership. Exacting as he is, he is very generous, with a gift of humor that never wavers, even when the pressure is on. I look forward to working with him on many more titles.
Marc Fortier
I worked with Nao as he led the core team for Ubisoft's Rocksmith. I'll always be amazed by his determination and ability to maintain a tight grip on the project, which was a hotbed for new and unpredictable elements. As if managing a new IP, establishing Ubisoft San Franciso's first in-house console development studio, and putting together a hybrid team of internal and outsourced developers wasn't enough to deal with, Nao also had to solve the multitude of hardware and licensing challenges intrinsic to an innovative music game like Rocksmith. I'm not sure how many miracles he conjured up throughout the production, because Nao operated like a sniper, picking off obstacles before the team was even aware of them. That's just a handful of reasons why Nao is far and away the most fearless Producer I've ever worked with.
Catalina Quijano
I have the pleasure of working with Nao Higo on our most recent high-profile project, Rocksmith. Highly focused, intensely professional, and demanding only the highest quality, he is respected by his colleagues who want to deliver their best under his leadership. Exacting as he is, he is very generous, with a gift of humor that never wavers, even when the pressure is on. I look forward to working with him on many more titles.
Marc Fortier
I worked with Nao as he led the core team for Ubisoft's Rocksmith. I'll always be amazed by his determination and ability to maintain a tight grip on the project, which was a hotbed for new and unpredictable elements. As if managing a new IP, establishing Ubisoft San Franciso's first in-house console development studio, and putting together a hybrid team of internal and outsourced developers wasn't enough to deal with, Nao also had to solve the multitude of hardware and licensing challenges intrinsic to an innovative music game like Rocksmith. I'm not sure how many miracles he conjured up throughout the production, because Nao operated like a sniper, picking off obstacles before the team was even aware of them. That's just a handful of reasons why Nao is far and away the most fearless Producer I've ever worked with.
Catalina Quijano
I have the pleasure of working with Nao Higo on our most recent high-profile project, Rocksmith. Highly focused, intensely professional, and demanding only the highest quality, he is respected by his colleagues who want to deliver their best under his leadership. Exacting as he is, he is very generous, with a gift of humor that never wavers, even when the pressure is on. I look forward to working with him on many more titles.
Marc Fortier
I worked with Nao as he led the core team for Ubisoft's Rocksmith. I'll always be amazed by his determination and ability to maintain a tight grip on the project, which was a hotbed for new and unpredictable elements. As if managing a new IP, establishing Ubisoft San Franciso's first in-house console development studio, and putting together a hybrid team of internal and outsourced developers wasn't enough to deal with, Nao also had to solve the multitude of hardware and licensing challenges intrinsic to an innovative music game like Rocksmith. I'm not sure how many miracles he conjured up throughout the production, because Nao operated like a sniper, picking off obstacles before the team was even aware of them. That's just a handful of reasons why Nao is far and away the most fearless Producer I've ever worked with.
Experience
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Ubisoft
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France
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Computer Games
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700 & Above Employee
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Vice President, Product Development
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Apr 2019 - Present
- Head of studio for Ubisoft San Francisco and Osaka, developing Rocksmith+ and XDefiant for PC and consoles.- Oversee product development strategy and budget. Maintain sustainable growth in the studios with the needs of the projects.- Long term investment in new potential studio locations.- Focused on making our (virtual and real) studios great places to work for our teams.- Diversity initiatives, setting targets and policies to make our teams more inclusive.
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Executive Producer
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Apr 2013 - Mar 2019
- Head of studio for Ubisoft San Francisco and Osaka- Founded the San Francisco development studio in 2009 and grew studio from five staff to over 100, releasing three major projects, including South Park: The Fractured but Whole and Rocksmith- Provide long term vision for the studios; guide mid/long term goals for projects- Secure studio funding and production resources for projects- Validate and track project schedule/P&L- Work with marketing to create product positioning strategy Show less
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Sr. Producer / Sr. Manager
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Mar 2008 - Mar 2013
Project lead for Rocksmith - Built San Francisco internal development team- Led development of Rocksmith for PS3, X360, and PC- Responsible for development planning, team management, detailed budgeting/P&L, scoping, and milestone tracking- Plan and track long-term studio goals- Manage cross discipline leads to ensure execution of short-term goals- Recruit and develop/train studio staff- Identify and secure resources both internally and externally- Manage contract negotiations with external service providers and licensors- Work closely with Creative Director to ensure highest quality standards while meeting production time line- Proven track record of providing accurate budgets throughout the product life cycleManaged projects created by Ubisoft Nagoya/Osaka- Identified team strengths/weaknesses and provided necessary resources to raise production quality bar- Reorganized/hired staff to improve team efficiency- Implemented modern development practices- Implemented and managed production schedule and budget- Worked closely with CD to improve quality of titles Show less
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Sony Computer Entertainment America
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United States
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1 - 100 Employee
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Producer
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Mar 2005 - Mar 2008
- Followed projects from early conception, working closely with internal and external development teams to identify design elements to improve global appeal of products - Presented relevant competitive data and references to inform market potential and influence game design to increase product potential - Tracked development for release in US - Followed projects from early conception, working closely with internal and external development teams to identify design elements to improve global appeal of products - Presented relevant competitive data and references to inform market potential and influence game design to increase product potential - Tracked development for release in US
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Bandai Namco Entertainment America
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United States
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Computer Games
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1 - 100 Employee
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Localization Producer
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Feb 2001 - Mar 2005
- Led localization efforts for multiple high-profile, award-winning titles - Led localization efforts for multiple high-profile, award-winning titles
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Education
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1995 - 1999
University of California, Irvine
BA, Social Science/Psychology
Community
