Nippon Ichi’s Future Rests on Strong Disgaea 5 Sales

[Update: Seems like the original quote from Niiwaka got mangled in translation. According to a clarification on Nippon Ichi's American forums, what he meant to say was:

If Disgaea 5 does not sell as planned, I, as the producer, might need to leave the Japanese gaming industry. (LOL)

This was but a bit of Japanese humor. Niiwaka has reassured fans that Nippon Ichi is not in any financial trouble.]

From the same Dengeki PlayStation coverage that brought word that The Last Guardian might be a PS4 title now comes some rather unsettling news regarding the future of JRPG studio Nippon Ichi Software. All eyes are on the upcoming PS4 sequel Disgaea 5, which will seemingly determine whether or not Nippon Ichi stays in business.

According to NeoGAF, Company president Souhei Niikawa had this to say:

If Disgaea 5 doesn't sell as planned then we might not still be in business the year after. Even though Bloodborne is now releasing the same day, we really hope people will pick up both titles at once.

That's a pretty damning comment to make, especially considering the sales trajectory of past Disgaea games. Nippon Ichi had earlier said that it's targeting 150,000 sales of Disgaea 5 in Japan; however, the highest that past Disgaeas have reached in the country was a Vita title at 70,000. How on earth is 150,000 a sensible target? I guess everyone there is banking on strong Western sales (even though a Western release has yet to be confirmed).

Disgaea 5 arrives for PS4 in Japan on March 26, the same day as From Software's Bloodborne. Wish it luck.