The downward spiral that has enveloped the Japanese video game scene in recent years is hardly news any more. But according to some on the inside, it's ready to get back to business and start making great games again.
Edge recently surveyed the current landscape and things are looking somewhat promising. Yoshihisa Hashimoto, a technical director at Square Enix, states:
"I believe Japan is capable of producing interesting games, but looking at the influence, we are being pushed around by western games without a doubt… For us not to lose, we really have to exert ourselves… But, I feel encouraged."
Western games have made leaving a larger mark in the Easter marketplace. Just last week alone saw the release of Assassin’s Creed 3, Assassin’s Creed 3: Liberation, and Medal of Honor: Warfighter, all of which was warmly received.
But there's stuff happening that's raising spirits locally. Like the Kojima Productions’ next generation tech, the Fox Engine, which was recently demonstrated in the Kojima Productions’ Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes trailer:
"Honestly, I thought it was amazing… I also thought, ‘We [Square Enix] won’t lose to this though!’ It was quite motivational."
One of the biggest issues facing Easter game development is all the money and time necessary to develop AAA titles, to a meet standard that they helped to create but can no longer meet:
"Right now, triple-A development can feel like something of a fool’s errand. While low-budget titles seem to be making massive profits, big budget, triple-A titles aren’t guaranteed to see a return in sales. From a business perspective, it’s not hard to understand the attraction to focusing on only the low and middle end.
From my perspective, I think Square Enix exists because of the high end… I would like for more lavishly made games to still be around. For example, I think 20 or so years from now, we’ll still have 2D card games, and casual puzzle games. The demand won’t go away, so neither will the games. In the same way, the demand for triple-A games won’t disappear either, though I feel we’ll have to work hard to ensure their survival."
