Following the news that Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi left Sega to form a new studio at Chinese giant NetEase, fans were worried. A new interview will give some relief as Nagoshi won’t be making smartphone games at the new venture.
Nagoshi’s new team, aptly named Nagoshi Studio, is a wholly-owned part of NetEase and as that publisher tends to do lots of mobile titles, fans were concerned.
At that time the team’s goal was already stated as having a “primary focus on the console software business” as they will make “high-end titles for a worldwide release.” Despite these pledges, fans were still concerned – so Nagoshi has made it even more clear.
“We are influenced by movies and are interested in creating games that offer a high level of human drama,” Nagoshi said to IGN Japan. “That’s what we find fun. Just as before, I hope to create games in that vein that can reach a global audience. So you won’t find us making, like, smartphone puzzle games or whatever. Those games are fun, but what we’re good at and what the world expects from us is games with dramatic and moving stories, and that’s what we want to make. So that’s where our focus is.”
When asked if he has any ideas on what this means for Nagoshi Studio’s first team, the Yakuza creator chimed in.
“Yes, as a game creator I have always had a number of things I’d like to do one day, and there is one idea in particular from my personal locker that I’d like to try to expand on now. Now the idea is slowly taking shape, with the input of the team,” he said.
“Looking at the sales of the Yakuza series, I think having an oriental setting probably helped to make it feel more unique, but I don’t think that on its own would be enough to make it a million-seller,” Nagoshi said. “There must be something stronger, such as an emotional story, or the balance between gameplay and storytelling, and the overall quality being high.”
Nagoshi closed out by saying they want to focus on having good drama, for their new titles to ever be a worldwide success like the Yakuza series.
“So for our next game to be a worldwide success, I don’t think the setting is that important,” Nagoshi said. “If the drama is good, then people in France will be moved by a Takeshi Kitano movie, and we in Japan can enjoy a movie from India. If the quality is good then anyone anywhere should be able to enjoy it. I want to return to that pure element of entertainment.”
