Feature
With TGS 2010 fast approaching, we profile five men that are keeping Japan’s game industry relevant.
By Ray Barnholt
Gamers who know their stuff are well familiar with the names of the legendary Japanese game designers that helped shape our taste in games in the first place. Miyamoto, Kojima, Mikami… They’ve made their mark on history, but for every one of those superstars, there are even more individuals who aren’t as known, but have matched their talents with titles that ever so slightly nudge the Japanese game industry back into the spotlight. Here is just a handful of longtime Japanese producers notable for recent games that provided something different, blew up in popularity, or just plain caught the attention of game fans worldwide.
Ryozo Tsujimoto
Capcom
Producer, Monster Hunter
As one of the main brains behinds the Monster Hunter series, Ryozo Tsujimoto is also one of the people who stand in the eye of the storm that is the Monster Hunter phenomenon: an action RPG series that has become practically as prominent as Dragon Quest in Japan. Part of that has to do with its multiplayer modes, where both solo and co-operative play coexist, with the player free to take their characters far in either direction. Although the series gained decent popularity when it started on PS2, it wasn’t until the Monster Hunter Freedom series on PSP when a groundswell among gamers (mostly teenage boys; the PSP’s prime market) transformed the franchise into a powerhouse.
