Famitsu Interview with Koei Tecmo's Omega-Force leader (May 2016)

Leader of Koei Tecmo's Omega-Force brand:

Ogasawara Kenichi

Profile: Joined the pre-merger Koei in 1993. Was involved in the establishment of Dynasty Warriors 1. After that he worked on Toukiden series among others. He's also the biggest fan of Nobunaga's Ambition series, and finally got his wish to work as Producer for Nobunaga's Ambition: Sphere of Influence.





-To have [each] titles hold duties, and coping with market changes-



Famitsu: First of all, would you please explain the characteristics of the Omega-Force brand?



Ogasawara: This brand is based on the Omega-Force team which was born when Dynasty Warriors 1 was being made. Omega-Force have developed Warriors and Toukiden series, and have also tag teamed with various IPs to develop Gundam Warriors, One Piece: Pirate Warriors and others.

In the recent years, we are also working on Attack on Titan (Wings of Freedom) and Dragon Quest Heroes series. The concept of Omega-Force brand is to develop and grow the fun factor in action games which can be experienced by anyone.



Famitsu: Omega-Force exists like a big pillar that represents Koei Tecmo Games, and now that Ogasawara-san has become this brand's leader, we'd like to hear your current enthusiasm.



Ogasawara: Some people may have thought that Omega-Force looked like a single lump, but internally it was hugely split into [dev teams of] Dynasty Warriors, Samurai Warriors and Others. This time, all of them are now under my jurisdiction, so first I'd like to plan [for each teams] to share their development know-hows [to the entire brand team], to make better efficiency. On top of that, we also want to to make gameplay systems even deeper. I feel a strong necessity in that.



Famitsu: And the reason why you feel like that is?



Ogasawara: In Warriors series, we are placing an emphasis on the "Easiness to Understand", to convey the fun factor to everyone who plays the games. However in doing so, we are not getting the confidence on the depth and thickness of our gameplay systems. That is the task being held by Omega-Force.

Right now, the fun factor that is simple and easy to understand has been overflowing in the smartphone games market. On the other hand, for the console games market, the desires for full-fledged games are high. So in there, if [we reflect on] whether Omega-Force games had delivered enough fun factor or not, I feel that is not enough.



Famitsu: So that means you're taking in the sense of danger, in which you haven't fulfilled the users' needs yet, right?



Ogasawara: We're actually feeling that the demand from ourselves to stack on our strategies is the same as the latent desire from everyone [our users]. From there, Dragon Quest Heroes 1 had an approach of being "Dragon Quest + Action", but for DQH 2, as we want to surpass even the evolution hoped by all of our users, we put a lot more power compared to the typical evolution in numbered [sequel] games. We're also going to brag that [DQH2] will have [much] volume.



Famitsu: We're looking forward to play that [DQH2].



Ogasawara: When we moved our rudder to the direction of Open World in Toukiden 2, it's because we're giving it a duty to respond to the needs of the core [audience]. We're going to gather know-how on doing Open World with Toukiden 2, and at the same time we're also going to deepen the Network + Character Growth features with DQH2.



Famitsu: Well then, what do you think about Dynasty Warriors from hereafter? I think the next numbered title should be "DW9"...



Ogasawara: We haven't announced anything yet, but I feel like there is not enough evolution in going from DW7 to DW8. When the time has come to announce [DW9], we're going to unleash something that can give an impact more than anyone can imagine. Because it's the IP that started this brand and also becomes its pillar, If it's not one step ahead from the other projects, there will be no meaning in it.





-Collaboration titles keep appearing continuously. There's also a collaboration with in-company IP?-



Famitsu: Ogasawara-san has been [working] in Koei Tecmo Games for over 20 years, but how are you grasping this organizational change?



Ogasawara: Up until now, even the same IP may have games made by different divisions, and I think that feels a bit out of place. With this organizational change, all games for an IP will be done under the same brand['s dev team], and the brand leader will take full responsibility of them, so I think it becomes much easier to understand. However, just my personal opinion, that means I can no longer make Nobunaga's Ambition games, so I a regret with just that. Grr... (laughs)



Famitsu: (laughs) Well then, please tell us Omega-Force's new expansions for this fiscal year.



Ogasawara: For the 3 IPs Samurai Warriors, Dynasty Warriors and Toukiden, each of the IP producers are of course standing up to do new challenges. Furthermore, we want to release new contents by teaming up with highly popular IPs that users have been waiting eagerly for. We already have many talks coming that we end up having difficulty in securing our development line.



Famitsu: You're going to take in even more collaboration titles, aren't you?



Ogasawara: When we work together with other companies, they are surprised that "[Koei Tecmo's] development speed is fast". I think that's the strength of Omega-Force. In addition to that we also have the know-hows of action games.



Famitsu: Is there also such thing as a collaboration with another brand within the company?



Ogasawara: Let's see, a project that combines between our in-company IPs, that will make new users go "Ooh"... may have begun, or it may have not (laughs)



Famitsu: I think the ability to always prepare surprises is also one of Omega-Force's strengths.



Ogasawara: All of the staffs who make games do love games and manga, so when they're making games for their favorite IPs, even you can see by yourselves that their tensions are going up. That becomes a stimulus, and I think it also connects to making things that surprise all of our users.

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