Japanese-focussed developers have no future at Capcom

Capcom intends to target the three main gaming markets of North America, Europe and Japan, and therefore requires its workforce to have a broad view of the world, corporate officer and deputy head of consumer games development Yoshinori Ono has revealed in a Capcom published interview.

“The challenge for us now is determining the best way to adapt our approach for delivering services in each regional market,” explained Ono.

“In Japan, for example, home video game consoles enjoy the same amount of popularity among gamers as smartphones and computers. On the other hand, there is little need to focus on game consoles in other Asian countries because they are only used by hardcore gamers. We do intend to continue marketing titles aimed at hardcore gamers, but in general our primary focus in the Asia is building up the market for online games.”

He added: “Home video games are the most popular in the North America and Europe, so in that sense it’s like a larger version of the Japanese market. But recently the income gap has widened in certain areas, and there are differences in the attitudes people have towards games, so we need to adapt our services to fit the needs of each group.”

And it’s this global approach which means Capcom is no longer a place for those focussed only on Japan and its culture.

“People involved in global business development who only know Japan have no real hope of accomplishing anything,” said Ono. “To offer services adapted to each region, you need to take an active interest in regions outside Japan, and make an effort to understand their local customs and culture.

“The people who work at Capcom are expected to take a broader view of the world.”

Last month, Capcom said that it intends to ramp-up its internal development talent at a rate of around 100 new staff each year.

Source: Capcom Developer Interviews