Final Fantasy Dev: Japanese Games Slipping Because Of Technology, Passion

Why aren’t Japanese games made by companies not called Nintendo as big or important as they used to be? Square Enix’s Final Fantasy veteran Akitoshi Kawazu has a theory.

“Aside from a few well-known titles, games from Japan are receiving less and less attention, regardless of if it’s an RPG or not”, he told Nintendo Power magazine. “I feel that it has something to do with the marketing abilities of Japanese publishers, as well as the games themselves.”

“The technology is not on par with Western games, and it also seems like developers are losing their passion to stick with their vision because they are being overwhelmed by costs or market trends.”

He also says that Japanese developers “need to take on a project with the confidence and strength to stick with their vision.”

All viable theories, but I’ve long believed (warning: gross generalisation ahead) it’s the average Japanese studio’s love of old-fashioned menus, long text sequences and an inability to appeal to the emerging “mainstream” Western consumer that’s been their undoing, rather than their marketing spend.

But hey, that’s just me!

Square-Enix – Japanese games aren’t getting much attention, tech isn’t up to snuff [Nintendo Power, via Go Nintendo]