14 DAY TRIAL // The game industry in Japan is in decline both when it comes to actual sales and to the quality of the titles developed and one leading developer working in the country believes the attempt to copy concepts and ideas from the West has backfired.
Kenichi Ogasawara, the main producer working on the Dynasty Warriors series, has told Gamasutra that “We’ve looked at the way Western developers make and present their games, in terms of the cut scenes, the graphics and all of that, and we’ve tried to take that approach in development. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get the result that we wanted.”
He believes that the Japanese teams need to stop actively copying what Western companies are doing and focus more on creating solid game experiences that do not conform to any patterns.
Ogasawara added, “We’re looking for ways to portray our culture in an easy-to-understand way, in a captivating way. Obviously in the action market there are influences from the Hollywood industry in the presentation, and it’s very hard for us to compete with that.
“For us, I think the best way to stand out in the competitive market is to use our culture to our advantage.”
Omega Force is now working on the PlayStation Vita based Dynasty Warriors Next, which is set to arrive in the West on February 22, a game relatively close to the core concepts of the series.
The team is also working on Warriors Orochi 3, a crossover that currently has a March launch date.
Publishers like Square Enix and Capcom have, in the last few years, looked to Western development team for some of their core games and have tried to push Western models on Japanese developers.
The publishers believe that reaching out to the audience in Europe and North America with core franchises like Final Fantasy or Resident Evil is crucial for their future success.