Toshihiro Nagoshi Reveals Plans for New Studio - News
by William D'Angelo , posted on 14 February 2022 / 1,989 Views
Toshihiro Nagoshi, the Yakuza creator, along with NetEase Games announced last month the opening of a brand-new studio, called Nagoshi Studio, based in Shibuya, Tokyo. Nagoshi will be president and CEO of the new studio.
Nagoshi in an interview with IGN has revealed his plans for the new studio and teased the next game he will be working on.
"We are influenced by movies and are interested in creating games that offer a high level of human drama," said Nagoshi.
"That’s what we find fun. Just as before, I hope to create games in that vein that can reach a global audience. So you won’t find us making, like, smartphone puzzle games or whatever. Those games are fun, but what we’re good at and what the world expects from us is games with dramatic and moving stories, and that’s what we want to make. So that’s where our focus is."
Nagoshi added, "Yes, as a game creator I have always had a number of things I’d like to do one day, and there is one idea in particular from my personal locker that I’d like to try to expand on now. Now the idea is slowly taking shape, with the input of the team."
He wants to continue to capture human performances in digital characters, however, he did not say if he would continue to use celebrity actors or not.
"When we started the Yakuza series, at that time it was common to design an original character and have them voiced by a voice actor, and anything beyond that was not considered important," said Nagoshi
"We were able to break through that system, and in doing so we learned a lot. I don’t think we have perfected this approach yet, and I think we can achieve even more emotionally engaging performances, facial expressions and so on. So I do have the desire to keep improving on that. In the meantime, whether or not we decide to work with any particular actors, I think it’s important to keep fostering those connections."
Nagoshi did say having an Oriental setting did help the Yakuza feel more unique. However, that on its own isn't enough to make it a million selling IP. It is important to have an emotional story and a good balance between gameplay and storytelling.
"Looking at the sales of the Yakuza series, I think having an Oriental setting probably helped to make it feel more unique, but I don’t think that on its own would be enough to make it a million-seller," he said.
"There must be something stronger, such as an emotional story, or the balance between gameplay and storytelling, and the overall quality being high. So for our next game to be a worldwide success, I don’t think the setting is that important. If the drama is good, then people in France will be moved by a Takeshi Kitano movie, and we in Japan can enjoy a movie from India. If the quality is good then anyone anywhere should be able to enjoy it. I want to return to that pure element of entertainment."
Nagoshi Studio currently has around 10 people and there are plans for it to not grow beyond 100.
"We haven’t decided how many projects to produce at once," he said. "But the studio will have a compact number of staff, which means it would be difficult to focus on several games at a time. So there are limitations. It’s possible that we will work on an extra project in tandem, but the basic idea is to work on one idea and put all of our energy into it, to release a first game that is strong and that is well received."
A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel dedicated to gaming Let's Plays and tutorials. You can contact the author at wdangelo@vgchartz.com or on Twitter @TrunksWD.
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