Mon, May 17, 2010 | 14:15 BST
RE5 boss: Japanese games industry hasn’t got “hope in hell”
Lost Planet 2 and Resident Evil 5 producer Jun Takeuchi has said that unless the Japanese games industry evolves and keeps up with western games development, it doesn’t have a “hope in hell”.
“If the Japanese games industry doesn’t evolve and simply maintains its current status quo, I really don’t think we have a hope in hell,” Takeuchi told Xbox World 360.
“Drastically innovative ideas are needed – and quickly – to equal or exceed the Western games industry.”
His comments are very similar to ones made by fellow Capcom producer Keiji Inafune last year at Tokyo Game Show, when he said that the Japanese games industry was “finished”.
“Personally when I looked around [at] all the different games at the TGS floor,” he said back in September, “I said ‘Man, Japan is over. We’re done. Our game industry is finished.”
Harsh, innit.
18 
Posted in: Capcom, Hot, Japan
Tags: Jun Takeuchi, lost planet 2, resident evil 5
18 comments
#1
OlderGamer
17/05/10, 2:21 pm
I have saying this for a while now. You can see the writting on the wall if you care to look.
#2
tenthousandgothsonacid
17/05/10, 2:29 pm
Let’s face it we’ll all love ‘The Last Guardian’ (for instance) and it’ll get great reviews and sell about 200k copies…
#3
Blerk
17/05/10, 2:30 pm
Even the ones that are trying have quite a way to go – Resi 5 and Lost Planet 2 being a couple of prime examples. It’s nice to see them having a go, but the West aren’t standing still either – the pinnacle’s still a moving target.
It’s such a shame that it’s gone this way – there used to be a fantastic mix of East and West to choose from, but now pretty much everything that comes out of Japan that’s not handheld-based is trying its very best to be a Western game.
#4
Alakratt
17/05/10, 2:35 pm
Jun’s right and while people like him continue to try and convert Japanese games into Western games, it’ll continue to go to shit.
#5
Whizzo
17/05/10, 2:39 pm
I really like Lost Planet 2 but you can tell it’s Japanese from the completely strange UI, I can’t see a Western developer being so damn obtuse.
#6
Tomo
17/05/10, 2:41 pm
I’ve got the solution…
Wait for it…
WAIT…
RPGs.
Bam, problem solved.
#7
OlderGamer
17/05/10, 2:48 pm
JRPGS stink. Well not really. But they haven’t evolved. And the char designs/artistic seperation between west and east is the worst in JRPGs.
I would rather play WoW, Fallout, DiabloIII, Tourchlight, or most other western rpgs to almost any JRPG out there.
I do enjoy PSU, however, but can’t stomach the story, chars, or stupid looking mobs. The gameplay and leveling are fantastic tho.
#8
Gheritt White
17/05/10, 2:52 pm
The East still rules the roost when it comes to one-on-one fighting games. I’d love to see a Japanese trad-platformer built to appeal to a more mature audience.
#9
Dralen
17/05/10, 2:59 pm
It’s a shame Resident Evil 5 turned out like it did, cos Resi 4 was awesome. I just think the co-op and setting ruined that game, and also the fact they tried to turn it into an action/adventure game. It wasn’t scary at all. Just goes to show that dark forests and old castles works for horror games.
#10
xino
17/05/10, 3:10 pm
well they only focus on JRPG, and wat is JRPG always about? it’s always about kids saving the world! That sh* never gets old for them:/
#11
Herlock
17/05/10, 3:28 pm
Capcom SHUT UP!
#12
fear_itself
17/05/10, 3:28 pm
I don’t think that they’re lagging when it comes to tech, it’s more a question of story/character and games design being too Eastern. They need to draft in specialists to help them with plot/characters and game/level design. Use them as consultants. Develop a new development model perhaps.
#13
PS3_Rules
17/05/10, 5:12 pm
All I can say is make better Japanese games and I would buy them.
#14
Freek
17/05/10, 7:17 pm
Judging by the reviews of Lost Planet 2, he’s not big on taking his own advice.
#15
scuz
17/05/10, 7:41 pm
I couldn’t agree more with him.
#16
theevilaires
18/05/10, 2:01 am
YUP FFXIII is pure shit (M$ fault if you still ask me though)
#17
Phoenixblight
18/05/10, 7:17 am
I disagree FFXIII was not shit. It is a damn good game compared to the previous FF, FF9 would be shit compared to it.
#18
Galactic_Barret
18/05/10, 8:31 am
I have no clue how JRPGs are judged by gamers anymore. I see some people say FFXIII was good enough and I don’t know why. Fang was the only redeeming factor, I feel (Semi-Ragnarok form was awesome; Should have been playable). I thought FFXII was just an all around better game. The story was intriguing, the gambit system was perfect (Big step back not having it in FFXIII, personally), and the characters, NPCs especially, had actual character.
But, yeah, XIII was good. FF’s, though, are supposed to be great. Heres hoping VS is better. Ugh, such a tremendous step down. Such a shame.