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Square Enix CEO: When Japanese devs emulate Western games, the results fall short

Youske Matsuda explains in recent interview that international reception is key but its not enough to only develop for them

In a recent interview, Square Enix president & CEO Yosuke Matsuda, said that if its Japanese game studios created titles specifically for the western markets they wouldn't be good.

As reported by VGC, in a translated interview with Yahoo Japan, the executive explained that if Japanese game makers emulate Western games, the results would fall short.

"But interestingly, if Japanese developers try to imitate Western games, they cannot make good ones. The designs of the monsters, and the visual and audio effects, are all still somewhat Japanese. And players around the world know that this is what makes Japanese games good," Matsuda explained.

"Overseas markets are important, but it is not enough to only develop for them."

The executive went on to say that focusing on traditional game wouldn't be enough looking forward, as he expressed an interest in titles where users would create content and be rewarded for it.

Also within the same interview he reiterated the publisher's intentions to develop play to earn games.

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Latest comments (1)

Neil Fowler Not stated 2 months ago
I am surprised that this is considered contentious, I personally wholeheartedly agree with him on this point. There is so much Western (read:US American) culture in media, video games included, that it is near impossible to avoid. Many of us play Japanese games to experience something different, something new and unpredictable, so to pick up a Japanese game and find Hollywood clichés and tropes is oftentimes disheartening for the player. It is worth pointing out to content makers that America-centric media most assuredly does not represent Western culture, much as they will tell you otherwise. The bizarrely named “West” includes many different cultures and tastes that are often as far removed from Hollywood product as Japanese storytelling. In short, if I pick up a Japanese game, I’m looking for a Japanese story, so embrace your own culture, don’t let the Americans tell you everything has to follow their copy paste Hollywood model!
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