DetonatioN FocusMe Founder Nobuyuki Umezaki Dies at 43
Umezaki's death removes a foundational figure who professionalized Japanese esports by creating the country's first salary-based team and securing athlete visas, a legacy that shaped the structure of the domestic scene.
Key Facts
- Nobuyuki Umezaki, founder of DetonatioN FocusMe, died on July 29, 2026, at age 43.
- Umezaki launched Japan's first full-time, salary-based professional gaming team, DetonatioN FocusMe, in January 2015.
- In 2016, Umezaki obtained Japan's first athlete visa for a professional gamer, a Korean player on his team.
- Takuya Imaizumi, president of parent company GameWith, will concurrently serve as the new president and representative director of DetonatioN.
- Under Umezaki, DFM's League of Legends division achieved Japan's first top-16 finish at the 2021 Worlds championship.
Reporting from 6 sources: 4Gamer.net, GAME Watch (Impress), KAI-YOU, Denfaminicogamer, and 2 more.
Nobuyuki Umezaki, the founder and representative director of the esports team DetonatioN FocusMe (DFM), died on July 29, 2026. He was 43 years old. DetonatioN announced his passing on August 3. The wake was held on August 1 and the funeral on August 2. A farewell gathering is not yet decided. Umezaki founded the gaming team DetonatioN in December 2012 while working as a sales representative for a heavy electrical machinery manufacturer. In January 2015, he launched DetonatioN FocusMe as Japan's first full-time, salary-based professional gaming team. In 2016, he obtained Japan's first athlete visa for a professional gamer, a Korean player on his team. Under his leadership, DFM became a dominant force in Japanese esports, winning multiple LJL championships in League of Legends and advancing to the top 16 at the 2021 Worlds. The team also competed in VALORANT, fighting games, and other titles. In October 2021, DetonatioN became a subsidiary of GameWith. Takuya Imaizumi, president of GameWith, will concurrently serve as the new president and representative director of DetonatioN.
Umezaki was born in 1983. He founded the gaming team DetonatioN in December 2012 while working as a sales representative for a heavy electrical machinery manufacturer. In 2013, he merged with the then-existing Focus Me to establish DetonatioN FocusMe as a League of Legends division. After winning the grand final of the L.J LEAGUE at Tokyo Game Show in 2014, the team began operating as Japan's first full-time, salary-based professional gaming team in 2015.
In June 2015, he founded Sun-Gence and became its president and representative director. In October 2021, Sun-Gence changed its name to DetonatioN and became a subsidiary of GameWith. In November 2022, the team integrated with GameWith's esports business, and the brand was unified under DetonatioN FocusMe. Umezaki also served as a co-representative director of the Japan Esports Federation, one of the predecessor organizations of the Japan Esports Union (JESU).
Under his leadership, the VALORANT division was established in 2020 and joined the international league VCT Pacific as a partner team in 2023. In the fighting game division, player GO1 won the Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves division at the 2025 Esports World Cup. Player Itabashi Zangief qualified for the Street Fighter 6 division main event at the Esports World Cup for the third consecutive year. In 2017, Umezaki published a book titled "I Tried Earning 100 Million Yen as a Monthly Salary Pro Gamer."
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 6 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- 4Gamer.net eスポーツチーム「DetonatioN FocusMe」の創設者・梅崎伸幸氏が逝去
- GAME Watch (Impress) プロeスポーツチームDFMのCEO梅崎伸幸氏が逝去。享年44歳
- KAI-YOU eスポーツチーム「DetonatioN FocusMe」創設者 梅崎伸幸さん、43歳で死去
- Denfaminicogamer プロeスポーツチーム「DFM」のCEO・梅崎伸幸氏が逝去、享年44（満43歳）
- Inside 【訃報】DFM創設者・梅崎伸幸氏が急逝。43歳―日本初の給与制プロゲーミングチームを作った先駆者
- Game Spark 【訃報】DFM創設者・梅崎伸幸氏が急逝。43歳―日本初の給与制プロゲーミングチームを作った先駆者