Japanese Devs More Focused On Innovation And Challenges Than Western Studios, Says Devil May Cry Creator

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"Japanese Companies Tend To Be More Open To New Challenges"

Story Highlight
  • Hideki Kamiya says that Japanese studios respect the process of trying to create something new.
  • He feels Western teams are more focused on safe projects that are sometimes marketing-driven.
  • The developer also believes Scalebound’s development with a Japanese publisher would have been different for this reason.

The Western and Japanese gaming studios currently dominate the industry. Unfortunately, Western companies like Xbox, Ubisoft, and more have been prone to an increasing number of layoffs lately.

While layoffs also exist within the Japanese development teams, such instances are not nearly as common. According to Hideki Kamiya, this is mainly due to the different focus of the two, with Japanese teams focusing on innovation and creation.

Why it matters: Japanese developers like Capcom are doing better than ever today, highlighting a major difference compared to the struggles of certain Western companies.

Devil May Cry
Hideki Kamiya Created The First Devil May Cry For Capcom

Speaking to VGC, Hideki Kamiya recently commented on the layoffs impacting thousands of creators across Western studios. The veteran developer has spearheaded projects like Devil May Cry, Bayonetta, and Scalebound in the past, gaining experience working with both sides of the industry.

He pointed out that Japanese publishers are usually more understanding of the creative process that goes into inventing new ideas. Hideki Kamiya believes these studios are also more patient and attempt to work with creators.

Japanese companies tend to be more open to new challenges.

On the other hand, he feels Western studios feel a sense of safety following tried-and-true formats.

Hideki Kamiya finds the Japanese gaming industry more trusting of its talent’s creativity. This is perhaps why he thinks Scalebound may have been handled differently, even if the outcome stayed the same, had it not been published by Microsoft.

They understand the struggle of trying to give birth to something new.

Hideki Kamiya
Hideki Kamiya Pioneered Several High-Profile Games During His Time At PlatinumGames

Moving forward, the gaming industry is set to expand with studios from Korea and China showing heaps of potential. Therefore, it will be interesting to see the different philosophies these regions bring to the gaming world.

What do you make of the Devil May Cry and Bayonetta creator’s thoughts on the subject? Let’s discuss in the comments and on the Tech4Gamers Forums.

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