It has been almost a year since Inafune publicly stated that the Japanese game development community was “over.” Claiming “Japan is over. We’re done.” Inafune stressed the fact that unless the Japanese development community took drastic steps to change, it would be doomed.
"I said that comment hoping that the Japanese creators were going to wake up," Inafune explained, speaking to VideoGamer at a hotel in London earlier today. "However, there has been no change whatsoever to the situation since last year, so I'm still very pessimistic.”
"I feel that many people in the industry are still living the glory of the '80s and '90s, so they don't admit that there is a problem to start with. However, looking at the domestic market, it's shrunk. Therefore it's really important that we realize that we're behind the Western market now, get humble and start learning what's going on. Otherwise the Japanese market is going to disappear completely, sadly.”
"There are some publishers who are starting to buy up Western developers. However, unless they start working with them properly, rather than just commissioning a game and then putting their name on the final product, it's just not going to work."
2 Comments
September 5, 2010
I agree even i have a hard time too admit this is true .
September 7, 2010
I partially agree that there are some faster technical advances in the west on graphics. But I have to temper that. You see when you have cerebral games you have less left over recources left over with to make the graphics with. The artificial intelligence (what a statement) in a cerebral game takes way more resources than in a twitch game. This leaves less cycles and memory for the graphics engines. But I disagree that they are shrinking because of the wests advances. If that is the case then the west would simply take more of their part of the Japanese pie, instead of the Japanese pie shrinking. The real problem? I'm embarassed to admit it but. 'IT'S THE ECONOMY STUPID!'.
Yeah that is a famous Bill Clinton campaign quote. But The Japanese graphics are getting better but the American graphics 'may' be getting better faster.
He even has evidence in his own statements, that it is the economy. The Show had less attendees. Does that not show how the economy is slowing down the gamers, more than Japanese games? American games where shown there that looked great according to his own statement, so why would they not come for the western games then if the west is leaving them in the dust?
He even has evidence that even the publishers where feeling the economy. He said less of the developers decided to attend the show for economic reasons.
Less games in Japan are being bought, both western and Japanese. That's also a show of the economy not necessarily the west leaving Japanese in the dust.
He said they (Japanese developers) looked at the situation and determined there was no problem. Then he used that to say they are not waking up. Maybe all of them are correct and he is wrong. I think they have the ability to count polygons and to count AI instructions, and do studies. Maybe he is looking at 'cutesy' games, and think it is old school because he is older. In other worlds maybe his outlook has changed. Maybe he need to lay off the testosterone gel.
The time for Japan to change is when their whole culture changes to a darker society that like the kinds of games that the west likes. Once that happens it is time for the Japanese to wake up, and become dark. But until we take a huge portion of their pie, we can't say we are leaving them in the dust legitimately. Because if that was the case we would simply take there lunch money. But as it is, it's the economy, and they have less lunch money for games.
There are huge tent cities in Japan. You think those peoples relatives are buying games instead of helping them? I think not! You think people are buying games with no way of playing them, and then living in a tent? I think not. You think the Japanese fell behind China as the worlds second biggest economy because they are growing fast? I think not. They are selling way less machines! Again the economy. Which gets me to another point.
Handhelds: They are buying the cheap DS over the PSP in waves! Western games are not taking over on the handhelds either!
Until Japanese start liking twitch games over cerebral games, or start liking dark games over 'light heart ed, or cutesy' games, or start liking realistic graphics over fantasy graphics the problem is 'the economy stupid'. I think Japan has not turned the corner yet on the cultural side of things.