Ben-DutkaThere was a time when just about all the great games came from Japan and in fact, if you learned a particular title was Western-developed, you were immediately skeptical.
But the industry has changed drastically since those days, and many Japanese publishers have been looking for ways to cater to a growing Western fanbase. This is why Square-Enix has made the strides they have (to mixed reactions), and although we do see a significant shift in the presentation of many Japanese-based titles, Capcom thinks they need to do more. A lot more. In fact, as they outsource more projects to Western developers, they know they still lag behind those same designers. According to an interview Resident Evil 5 producer Jun Takeuchi gave to Xbox World 360 (and cited by Industry Gamers ), the Japanese industry may not "have a hope in hell." Said Takeuchi:
"If the Japanese games industry doesn’t evolve and simply maintains its current status quo, I really don’t think we have a hope in hell. Drastically innovative ideas are needed – and quickly – to equal or exceed the Western games industry."
Fellow Capom boss and Mega Man designer Keiji Inafune said something very similar last September; in speaking at the Tokyo Game Show, he said he looked around at all the games on the floor and said to himself, "Man, Japan is over. We're done. Our game industry is finished." While there are plenty of important Japanese franchises, it's clear that the likes of Uncharted , Grand Theft Auto , Call of Duty , Assassin's Creed , and others are either competing favorably with or surpassing the likes of Final Fantasy , Resident Evil , and even Metal Gear Solid . It's just a little discouraging to hear Capcom get so down about it…
Your entire argument doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. There has empirically been a difference between games made by eastern developers i.e. those games made in Japan, and those games of a western origin. So by the very nature of there being a distinction it has more to do with the blending of the two styles than anything else.
There are also cultural differences to take into account that go into making a game because it is an entirely different mind set and thought process. We live our lives differently and interact differently and it shows through in our films, television programmes, music, literature, and yes even our games.
To try and blend the two is to take away a fundamental uniqueness from both markets and to believe that it comes down to "shut up whining and enjoy what you are given" is very naive and lends to a silo mentality where everyone should be happy with the same thing just because.
I for one, like many here, enjoy the eastern games. I enjoy the eastern cultures, foods, films, and values. To say there is no difference between the two is to take away from both and just very narrow from a world view perspective.
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why just make resident evil 5 the darkness come back!?new game huh
why? because his last 2 games have been complete bullshit? he's trying to justify it by saying ALL japanese developers need to get their acts together or they're fucked, when really it's more likely he's worried about being finished himself. what a prick =) he's an adult. he should take responsibility and accept the fact that he's making lacklustre games and stop blaming everyone else around him.
Ditto…
Maybe if they stop trying to make western games and make Japanese games instead, they'll get somewhere. I can't believe the stupidity that has overcome most of the game developers in the past 5 or 6 years. They don't look at how awesome they were as opposed to how washed out they are now. I'm gonna say now that there are still some good Japanese game company's out there (ie; Tri-Ace first comes to mind), but most of the people who think "Let's stray away from what made us awesome and dumb our games down!" are going to get hurt. As a gamer, when a Japanese gaming company dumbed down their game and makes it more westernized, it tells me that they think I'm stupid. The vast majority of games in the US today are FPS, and 3rd Person Shooters. Not as many action games as those two. The only time I like a shooting game is when it's a free roam world, and that's not even done often, either.
Come on Japan you can do it!!
Just go back to your roots, please!!!
Like everyone else has already said: maybe if they quit assuming that we're all morons they might have better luck making games that appeal to us.
They hang out with Xbox constantly. How can they not get that impression?
Japan still puts out some rather innovative, quirky, hardcore games. Demon's Souls or 3D Dot Game Heroes anyone?
Also, there are many quaility Japanese games still being released to this day that don't make it out of Japan. The Japan game industry is fine.
Well for them, but somehow were not getting the good parts.
When did all the great games came from Japan with Western-developed, games looked at with sceptical eyes? Japan does not need to westernise it just needs to make games that people want to play.
something tells me that japan shouldnt be westernizing, they should literally be evolving the eastern tradition of game production.
its not like western devs have taken the field by becoming more eastern, they evolved upon the western style. if japan just decides to be more western, theyre gonna be a step behind the entire way, and they'll still falter.
plus, i'd look forward to a market with two distinct "schools" of game development. i mean, while we have great western games, the variety isnt exactly… well thats just it, there is no variety. western studios pretty much invented the FPS (goldeneye) and the Action Adventure (spyro, crash), and (successful) western takes on the japanese RPG are hybrids, or a FPS or Action adventure with RPG elements.
Japan, relativley, is now a tiny proportion of the market and they realise it.
and their rpg games are rubbish too.
Ask capcom – straight from the horse's mouth.
Anyone who disagrees is burying their head in the sand…
…and to all you thumbs downers…
…you've got sand in your ears!!!!!!
To be fair… they don't do mainstream advertising either for titles really…
If irony was made of strawberries, we'd all be drinking alot of smoothies right now.
Talk about Irony, see the article about Capcom's Westernized Bombshell at E3.
Last edited by Jawknee on 5/18/2010 11:14:54 AM
Wow, there seems to be a lot of self loathing and self pity doing the rounds of Japanese game developers. As it happens I share this opinion of Takeguchi's but not for the reasons he gave. The JApanese game development industry doesn't have a hope in hell if it continues to spiral down into this pit of self loathing and pity. What the hell has caused this? Why are game developers who otherwise should be holding their heads high and celebrating their games, instead beating themselves up and trying to become something that they are not?
Most confusing.
The first aspect of this I think is the language and cultural differences. Western audiences are not Japanese audiences, Japanese developers are not western developers. Game tastes vary greatly between cultures. There is *nothing* inherently superior about western game preferecnes. Nothing. To say otherwise is nothing less than cultural imperialism and ego. My impression of Japanese games has always been one of color, more whimsical design, JRPGs, beat'em ups and insanely difficult action games, not to mention obsessively good racing sims and tons of fan service / anime style. Let's not forget the dating sims and collection games like Monster Huunter. Throw in a good dose of formula driven platforming from Mario and you've pretty much got Japanese games. They sell well in Japan, and they sell OK here. The thing is they are games that appeal more to Japanese gamers because they are more in their culture and sensibility. That does not make them bad, nor does it mean that no western audience exists.
The flipside is the current fascination in Western game design for shooters and action games, first and third person. These games tap into a largely American cultural base that's driven by decades of Hollywood blockbusters and other cultural cues that have infiltrated other Western audiences – especially English speaking nations like the UK, Ireland, Australia and Canada. Games such as Halo, Modern Warfare 2, Gears of War, God of War, Killzone 2, Uncharted. Action RPGs like Mass Effect. These games are apparently more suited to our culture and sensibilities in the west. The sell very well in the West, and not so well in Japan. But that does not make them somehow better, it simply means that the appeal to the current cultural sensibilities of western gamers – in general.
Now, OK, I can see that Japanese developers might want a piece of that large gaming market, but the fact that there exists a large gaming market outisde your home market does not invalidate your home market, nor does it invalidate your current games. Why are they so quick to dismiss their own efforts? It's crystal clear that Japanese and Western gamers (for example) have very different tastes in games. But there is some cross over. Otherwise why would JRPGs (for example) have such an audience here?
Oh well, I guess I should not be surprised. the media and society in general is still not getting it when it comes to gaming. Gaming is one huge homogeneous lump of people who play kids games – right? Never mind all the demographics that show distinct markets based on age and gender in the market. Never mind that some games sell better in some countries than others. No, let's just all pretend that gamers over the globe are identical. This seems to be what many in the media do, they can't distinguish between shooters and games like Flower. Many in the western industry have a hugely arrogant western view that they are right and everyone else is to be looked down upon. Look at the recent grief that was handed out to JRPGs by Bioware.
Quite why Japanese developers are buying into this is beyond me. It should be absolutely clear to them that not only is the Japanese, or even the entire Asian, game market different from the Western market. It should be clear that gamers differ and gamers differ by culture, gender and age group.
I don't know what the answer is, although I do get the feeling that these Japanese developers need to wake the hell up and stop hating on themselves. Fine if they want to make western games, go for it. If they want to bring in some western expertise in particular aspects of their development, great. But don't sell short your own culture. Keep making the games that have made your companies who they are, just make them better.
One last thought.
Games such as Soul Calibur, Tekken, and JRPGs (eg Final Fantasy), would never have come from western developers in the form they have. Can you imagine a Soul Calibur style game made by Bungie? It would lose everything that made it Soul calibur, the same goes for others like Tekken, Final Fantasy and so on. We as gamers ow the Japanese gaming industry a huge debt of gratitude for some of the best game titles of all time. I just wish that they could see that too.
You've nailed it. They are good at making Japanese games, they have fans here and in Japan, their attempt to make western games(which they're not very good at) has failed with their Western fans and their Japanese fans it seems.
Amen Highlander!!!!!!!
And a MILLION Thumbs Up!!!!!
Somebody need to put the lid on both Keiji Inafune and Takeuchi because clear these guys are nothing but idiots. Then again when you think about it, all the bitching about japanese industry have mainly came from Capcom…must becasue the fact the company have been sinking financially for the past couple of years.
Also speaking of Capcom, here is hoping that Dorna do the right thing and end the business relationship with Capcom and pass the MotoGP lisence onto a developer more worthy of it: POLYPHONY DIGITAL.
I surely hope this isn't going to convince other Japanese developers NOT to release their games to the US because they're not 'Western enough' D:<
Its just my taste in games, but the more westernized the Japanese make their games the more I don't like them and will not purchase them.
I liked it better years ago, when Japanese developers made awesome games like tail concerto,brave fencer musashi and steambot chronicles – games that anyone knew from only playing that they were created in Japan, but this was all before they become obsessed with getting a cut of the Western market.
In my mind I can't help but think this is the Mcdonaldlization of gaming.
I truly hope Japanese developers get a hold of the situation and go back to creating the best Japanese flavored games possible and just forget this nightmare of westernizing their games.
The thing is, the way I see it: the reason Japanese developers are in a crisis isn't because Japanese games don't garner attention, but rather too many Japanese publishers and developers fear Japanese games won't garner attention. As a result, many have abadoned their tradition and killed off their own quality. Those staying with their routes simply aren't backed up enough to make a strong difference. Why? Probably because the Xbox 360 has a chunk of market, which unsurprisingly consists of mostly a Western audience. At this rate it'll be a vicous circle until for example: traditional JRPGs disintegrate into s**t. But a main factor is even within old Japanese games, or manga, or ANYTHING WHEN IT COMES TO A POPULARITY CONTEST, they always try and be Western. I'm not complaining but examples are: bleach blonde hair on characters? Really?? Old European names [or even just English words for characters?? Really?? I mean Ganguro…wait, wut? REALLY?! WHY?
Why do Japanese developers have to suck up all the time? I guess The Playstation wouldn't be here today without it's influences but on this occasion, I think it's better JDs try proudly forcing an influence theirselves. I say this because even though they may not know it [well, they probably do], they influenced the entire gaming spectrum in terms of games that engaged people to a completely different level.
There have never been games more engaging to me than Japanese games. Must be from their culture. They seem to pick up Western influences, and decorate it with their own artistic direction.
I think Nintendo's key developers responsible for games such as Mario Galaxy or Metriod Prime 3 would have a very large bone to pick with these idiots.
I HAD to reply before I read all posts… read mine. You are dead on.
To me its Japanese games > Western or Westernized games. Japanese games is what have me to play games. I just want Japanese games to stay the way they are and keep bringing out titles that interest me so I know i'll be able to purchase it and others who enjoy the same kind of games.
If you're making a game in Japan, don't make it look like something America would make and vice-versa. Don't target a game for a specific country that's not even your own. Like for instance there's still some Japanese game developers who still try to make any game they make as Japanese-ish as possible and I like that.
Not everyone wants to play a Western game or a game influenced by Western games just like there's people who won't play games made in Japan. Everyone has their own tastes in what they like to play(mine is JRPGS, Japanese Fighting games, or just anything Japan makes that I would like to play or better yet games that seem more anime-ish or at least a similar style).
I even go as far as to import games from Japan that seem most interesting to my tastes of games or even Japanese games that wouldn't come to America anyways(1 of my reasons why I love PS3 and PSP) and if the game comes stateside I buy the English version afterwards.
I'm calling BS on this guy…
1st: Nintendo still based in Japan?
2nd: Perhaps Capcom doesn't understand that a lot of great games the "West" has come to love were MIJ.
3rd: 2 words… TEAM ICO
Maybe this moron doesn't know how he and his company will make the future games from Japan for any audience… but I seriously doubt the rest of the Japanese devs share his anxiety… is Kojima up at night worrying? Doesn't Street Fighter sell a ton of games?
RE5 was a flop compared to the brilliance of RE4… the customer is becoming more educated and discerning… games are not as cheap as they once were so shovelware BEWARE! He sounds as though he wants a "bailout" instead of buckling down and making a good game! If he doesn't have the desire or drive that Naughty Dog had for UC1&2 then he should be looking for a new career. Boo effin' hoo! Shut up and get to work… get an idea, hire the talent to bring it to life… problem solved. What a chump! Who put a microphone in his hand?
<steps down off of soapbox>
It needed to be said… I apologize If I offended anyone.