N3 II producer says Japan isn't capturing the West
I know the viewpoint is a bit different for me, as Japanese games are still my primary interest. But I can see what Ninety Nine Nights II producer Tak Fujii is saying. In a recent talk with Gamasutra, Fujii expressed concern about his fellow Japanese game devs not capturing the Western market like they used to.
He talked about how they “used to have very good Japanese game all over the world,” and about how they now struggle to keep up with Western devs, who may know a bit more about how to cater to not only their home audience, but also the rest of the world.
“…compared to the others from capturing the Western market we are not doing really well, so we gotta change, you know, our scheme or style, which means the producer has gotta be much more on the PR side and the management side, rather than just in creating, creating, creating.”
After jokingly blaming the situation on American gamers, Fujii recalls the 1980s and 1990s, where development teams were only 20 or so members strong. “But now, talking game products in Western culture, it’s a hundred something people getting involved with it,” he explains.
“And the Western market is getting more and more into realistic stuff like the World War II shooters and FPS stuff. But to make that, it means tons of money, and you know Nintendo brought out their answer.”
My view is that this conservative culture is having a hell of a time trying to figure out a way to make products that will be respected across the world. It has to be pretty difficult going up against American companies. America is already well versed in marketing products to the world, especially when it comes to Hollywood and films. Japan is going to have to become a bit more creative to make as much noise as Western devs do. Maybe making less 1-vs-100 hack and slash titles is a good start.
Japan ‘isn’t capturing the Western market‘ [CVG]
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