Inaba: Western devs 'superior' to Japanese devs
by Richard Mitchell 
{ Feb 20th 2009 at 10:40PM }
When asked about opportunities for Japanese developers, Inaba stated that there were many opportunities, but that such opportunities hinge on a developer's ability to sell products to a global audience. He further added that it's important to focus on new IP in order to keep innovation alive in the industry, stating, "Industries that innovate and produce something new will always survive in the global marketplace." So, we shouldn't expect a Madworld sequel then?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Geist @ Feb 20th 2009 10:48PM
I think it's really a matter of opinion. Some Japanese developers far surpass standards time and time again, some Western developers do the same. Some Japanese developers churn out crap time and time again, same with Western developers.
Frankly, I think the west has too many companies like EA, that just produce the same game over and over again.
Moptimus Slime (Leader of the Taylor Swift Defense Force, Gobot in disguise) @ Feb 20th 2009 10:52PM
2007 called, it wants its joke back
Geist @ Feb 20th 2009 10:56PM
I'm sorry, I was too busy playing the latest Need for Speed, Medal of Honor, Burnout, and the other number of sports franchises to realize.
It's not a joke. They've picked up some unique titles in recent past, which is good, but there's nothing saying that they'll continue to do so.
Japanese developers can be the same too, though I'm not as well-versed in them. The ridiculous amount of sequels to stuff like DDR, Beatmania, Guitarmania, etc, is a perfect example though.
slycooper_rocker @ Feb 20th 2009 11:07PM
you'll be burned in your sleep for even mentioning burnout in that list.
Moptimus Slime (Leader of the Taylor Swift Defense Force, Gobot in disguise) @ Feb 20th 2009 11:12PM
the latest Medal of Honor? You mean the one they released almost 2 years ago? Or the Burnout series that they didn't take control of until the 3rd game and the latest 360 version came out 2 years before Paradise? Whats left? Need for Speed and sports franchises they've actually done shit with recently?
Now lets look at, oh I don't know, ActiBlizzion. Coming this year: 2 new Guitar Heros (with 1 more on DS), another Call of Duty, the first part of the Starcraft 2 "Trilogy" (with the rest coming in the next 2 years after the first), etc.
Discotheque @ Feb 20th 2009 11:14PM
Namco Bandai and Square Enix come to mind from Japan.
And please....EA is still considered the devil? I thought that title was passed on over to Activision.
Geist @ Feb 20th 2009 11:16PM
It's almost like there's more than one publisher that's pushing out stuff year after year after year. There isn't one 'devil', there's just a bunch of publishers that don't do risky development, which is often detrimental to gamers as a whole.
Joeshie @ Feb 20th 2009 11:40PM
I'm sorry, but it's far more pronounced in Japan than it is in the States. At least in the West, we have several companies that constantly push forward new ideas and new IPs (Relic, Valve, Bioware, even EA to a degree). In Japan, all of the "best" of companies (like Square-Enix and Capcom) still release TONS of sequels and remakes.
There is tons of sequelitis and rehashing in the West, but it's a far bigger problem in Japan. They have SO many IPs that have like 6+ sequels to them. It's fucking ridiculous.
Geist @ Feb 20th 2009 11:44PM
This is probably true. Still, how we define a unique game? Simply a new IP, or something akin to Katamari Damacy, which is as wtf as you can get. Or Noby Noby Boy.
Of course, KD is an interesting example since despite being unique, Namco has run it into the ground by now.
Eh, the Japanese seem to like sequels. At least Final Fantasy games, for example, tend to change between iterations.
Josh @ Feb 20th 2009 10:54PM
I wouldn't say that. Sure some western developers are better than some Japanese developers, but overall, there are good developers all over the world.
But I guess it's kind of a uniquely Japanese thing to compare Japan to the rest of the world in art, technology, etc. etc. (and to try to surpass the rest of the world as a collective whole). Japan's pretty tight knit.
Moptimus Slime (Leader of the Taylor Swift Defense Force, Gobot in disguise) @ Feb 20th 2009 10:54PM
can we all agree that MadWorld may just have the most badass boxart of all time?
BIGGEN (LIVE-PSN: BIGGEN1103) @ Feb 22nd 2009 3:05AM
no
ThornedVenom (of the Fidlious Clan of Wong) @ Feb 20th 2009 10:57PM
Careful, it's the "Americans have large penises" trick from the South Park episode Chinpokomon.
Tez @ Feb 21st 2009 12:45AM
Haha, I was just thinking that!
"Your developers, they so gooood!"
Smoke_Dawg_187 @ Feb 20th 2009 11:03PM
Why do we keep reading about this subject. We already know it's true. Seems like there is a similar post about this every 3 months
Mr Khan @ Feb 20th 2009 11:04PM
The rise of Western developers has been tied to the rise of PC gaming as it relates to console gaming. The western developers were working on the indie games that now dominate the download services, and they were doing the high-end games that now dominate the PS360.
Wii is the holdout for Japanese development holding the reins for the high-end titles, but the shifting dynamics of the industry in Wii's favor, it might lead to a slowdown in the breakneck technological advancement on consoles, in turn giving the Japanese a good chance to play catch-up
tmacairjordan87 @ Feb 20th 2009 11:06PM
And he's absolutely right, like most of the other big time japanese developers have also stated. The thing is, it's about time to stop talking about it and start doing something about it. Start with completely reworking everything about the JRPG genre, as it's been pretty much exactly the same for 20 years now.
Geist @ Feb 20th 2009 11:11PM
A lot of genres have been the same for forever. It doesn't matter if you follow the staples of the genre, it matters if you do it right and do it well.
Apollo @ Feb 20th 2009 11:07PM
HELLZ YEA!
WE ROCK! U S A!!!!! U S A!!!!!!!!!
Poisoned Al @ Feb 20th 2009 11:53PM
Yes, because America is the only country in "the west" isn't it?
ThornedVenom (of the Fidlious Clan of Wong) @ Feb 21st 2009 12:49AM
http://xkcd.com/503/
Poisoned Al @ Feb 21st 2009 8:29AM
I know it's an odd concept for Americans to grasp, but they weren't always the center of the fucking universe.
Get an atlas, and dead bang in the middle at zero longitude is a tiny little country that took over half the planet with the cunning use of flags. Everything to the left of the meridian is "west" and everything to the right is "east."
Discotheque @ Feb 20th 2009 11:15PM
Europe's dev companies are probably the most technically advanced I would say. And also that region is slowly becoming my favorite.
SoCoolCurt (PSN: KillaKornbread - XBL: SoCoolCurt) @ Feb 20th 2009 11:45PM
they do produce some VERY good games. especially on the PS3 side of things with devs like Guerrilla Games and Media Molecule.
WiredKnight @ Feb 21st 2009 4:09AM
Crytek, anyone?
Discotheque @ Feb 21st 2009 8:45PM
Crytek was exactly what came to mind. Small dev company out of Europe and they are by far the most technically advanced of them all. They've even bested Id.
libster @ Feb 20th 2009 11:33PM
yeaaaaaaaaah! fuck Japan!
SoCoolCurt (PSN: KillaKornbread - XBL: SoCoolCurt) @ Feb 20th 2009 11:36PM
wait what? the Western and Japanese markets are two COMPLETELY different animals. as a whole, Westerns prefer FPS while Japanese prefer RPG's. now that's a pretty big generalization (im Western and prefer RPG's) but that's the same kind of statement this guy is making. it has no basis really in my opinion, since the whole thing is simply based on opinion anyway.
Poisoned Al @ Feb 20th 2009 11:51PM
European devs tend to go for the high concept games that don't always work, but have good ideas which are picked up by others.
American devs tend to make games with a lack of new ideas, but highly are polished. This is changing however.
With the exception of Nintendo, Japanese devs make games for the Japanese market and nobody but weeaboos give a shit about. IE: loads of JRPGs, all with the same teenage characters saving the bloody world AGAIN with gibberish plots that some fucker here will vote me down for, because I don't "get" this tripe before sticking Pocky up their bum and crying themselves to sleep under their anime bedsheets.
Poisoned Al @ Feb 20th 2009 11:54PM
Sorry for the poor gammer. It's late and I can't be bothered to go to bed.
Markez @ Feb 21st 2009 12:23AM
Yeah well your grammar also sucked :P Good evening, dear friend.
Geist @ Feb 21st 2009 3:03PM
That's unfair to say. You could say the same thing about American developers that keep shovelling out the same over-muscled steroid-abusing stereotype who's out to save the world and be a bad ass at the same time. It just appeals to different markets, that's all.
Sophia Park!!! @ Feb 21st 2009 1:10AM
*yawn* we've heard this all before. (japan needs to stop crying already) wake me up when, western developers stop releasing the same old first-person shooter, with the same old young white male marine/space marine, who has the same old bald or shaved head, who wears the same of body armor that's the size of tank, who uses the same modern day military weapons or made up sci-fi ones, who's set in some military world. also, wake me up when, western developers stop releasing the same old music games, but with new and improved fisher-price (shawn elliot's words, not mine, lol) guitars, bass guitars and drum sets. wake me up when, western developers stop releasing the same old sandbox and openworld games with a young white male, who has some form of super powers. wake me up when, western developers stop releasing the same old young white every man male, who happens to have some young white blonde haired and blue eyes female as a side kick. wake me up when, ea finally decides to do something different with the madden series of games. (they've been the same for years) wake me up when, western developers finally start releasing their games with no bugs or glitches. but, then later in the week, they issue a patch for the game, to fix the problems that should have been fix before the game was officially released to the consumers. yes, i know that the japanese have their own problems when it comes to game development this generation. but, western developers aren't that great at what they create and do in the videogame space this generation either. they release the same old shit too.
i didn't spell check this, so, the grammar might be bad. oh well. it's late. i don't care. (lol)
stormhit @ Feb 21st 2009 1:32AM
Don't worry, the spelling and grammar was acceptable enough
It would have helped if you had any kind of a point other than just posting a wall of nonsense, but hey. Can't have it all.
WiredKnight @ Feb 21st 2009 4:11AM
This would have been a good point, about ten years ago.
Wake me up when your argument is relevant.
Charlie_Six @ Feb 21st 2009 1:52AM
All my fav games come from developers in Japan, Canada, and Sweden it seems. It's been a while since I've really cared about any "Made in America" game. Sorry, my fellow Americans, but you've lost your touch!
LegendaryRedass @ Feb 21st 2009 3:13AM
Anyone who says the west doesn't have any or as many original games or ideas doesn't know WTF their talking about. There are tons of indie developers out there creating original ideas everyday. While Nintendo has flooded the market with enough shovelware to support the west's argument for decades to come. Point being, there are good qualities and negative qualities to either region. No one is innocent of sequlitis or complacency. And not all sequels are bad. Who isn't looking forward to Dead Rising 2, Uncharted 2, GoW3, FFXIII or CoD4?
I'm not pro- either side. Unlike some people, I don't think everything is black and white, and I can't stand people who love to bash the west every chance they get. While we all know EA is responsible for some of least original ideas ever, this is hardly represenative of the the western gaming industry. It's just another easy target for a weak mind. Some people even try to separate Europe from the US as part of the west because they hate the US so much. And that's really where there opinions come from, which renders them useless and idiotic.
Charlie_Six @ Feb 21st 2009 4:27AM
I find the concept of "The West" to be bizarre. America is 300 million people, 30% of which aren't white. Maybe 15% of Americans don't speak English or a European language as their first language. Are these Americans not Westerners?
What behavior must be emulated in order to be a Westerner? Is it purely a geographic construct? If so, then what purpose does it serve in any serious discussion? If it's a political construct, what political views must be emulated to be officially deemed Western? Is Liberia a Western country, since all of its people are former Americans? What about Puerto Rico?
Is it a cultural construct? In which ways, specifically? The video game industry is almost totally devoid of black and Latino employees, who make up 20% of the country. It's also almost totally devoid of women employees too, and they make up 50% of the country. Are women and other groups not Westerners?
Why is Japan going up against a collection of multiple countries in these Japan vs West discussions? Why is an American made game automatically lumped alongside a British one, a French one, or a German one? And are Republicans more concerned about Western video game supremacy than Democrats? Is Obama a Westerner, or is he something else?
sam @ Feb 21st 2009 5:49PM
Nintendo doesn't make the shovelware (generally), it's just on their platform. Aren't most of the shovelware developers (for shovelware that is released in the West, that is) Western?
I agree with your point, there are plenty of crap sequels (and crap original games, and good sequels) from both sides of the planet.
Also, I'm sure Inaba is right in terms of the technical abilities and other aspects of Japanese game developers. But he didn't say 'Japanese games are all crap', which seem to be how some people are taking it. He said:
'To be honest, I think that western developers are superior to those in Japan overall, so we the Japanese developers should realise that we have to work hard to reach the western level.'
Not really a very extreme statement.
Bowser Rogozhin @ Feb 21st 2009 6:14AM
"opportunities hinge on a developer's ability to sell products to a global audience"
That's a terrible conclusion. Cultural identity is one of the last things Japanese games have, to lose that means they'll have nothing (of any significant worth).
Approaching any creative work from a global prospective is good for the balance sheet, but, from an artistic point of view, it renders the project null and void, without worth. Nothing flourishes when you try to appease as many potential customers as possible, nothing whatsoever. What you do get is a mish-mash, bric-a-brac of signs and nonsense which means very little to the targeted market. It's stupefying.
Appeasement to the masses is to enslave yourself to the base serf. No good can come from such an approach, unless you consider dumbed down emptiness as a type of good. And to think Madworld is being approached in this manner. How I sigh.
fred @ Feb 21st 2009 9:50AM
You really are the most clueless, elitist fuck ever to post on a game blog, aren't you?
Bowser Rogozhin @ Feb 21st 2009 10:05AM
I, too, would resort to base profanity if I couldn't conjure up a witty or informative put down. Enjoy your cultural poverty.
Geist @ Feb 21st 2009 3:08PM
You make a somewhat decent point, but I really have to agree that the way you structured your statements made you seem like an aloof prick who belongs in a 'haute-couture' film.
RankHypocrisy @ Feb 21st 2009 9:10AM
You find the concept of "the West" to be bizarre?
Pro tip - try cracking open a Western Civ textbook sometime for clues as the what defines "the West".
----SPOILERS BELOW----
Yes, Germany, France, and the US are different countries, but they share underlying historical, religious, cultural, aesthetic, and racial components that make them part of "the West".
Kia @ Feb 21st 2009 10:39AM
"According to Inaba, Japanese developers have to "work hard" to match the standards of western developers."
Maybe if Japanese developers actually released stuff this generation they wouldn't be so far behind. But seriously, other than Capcom, Japan is just sitting around on their hands. Maybe the occasional playing around with DS.
Quattro @ Feb 21st 2009 3:07PM
I think this is a little silly. Some of the best games I played last year were Japanese developed. Its all a matter of preference.
GoonieGooGoo @ Feb 22nd 2009 3:39PM
Ooooohhhh...so rehashing your old titles again and again and again and again is a bad thing???
Hello.....SQUARE ENIX......no wonder you can only get a new game out worth purchasing every 6+ years...yeesh.