Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi has established a brand new studio for NetEase that will focus on creating “high-quality” console games. Nagoshi will be Representative Director and CEO of the new Nagoshi Studio and he’ll have the help of eight other experienced developers who have worked on other “iconic” titles.
Providing a Spark in Players’ Lives
As the studio is newly formed, there is no hint on what the studio will be working on for their first title. However, Nagoshi did release a statement that they would be producing games that will “provide the spark” in players’ lives:
There have been sweeping changes made to how content is produced in the entertainment industry, in terms of how it’s made and the business model that supports it. These changes are happening at a greater speed, thanks to the advances in technology and infrastructure. However, NetEase Games and Nagoshi Studio both believe that what people want from entertainment hasn’t changed one bit. People see their dreams in entertainment; they look to it to give them hope in their everyday life, to soothe them in difficult times, and to add excitement in happy times. People look to entertainment to provide the spark for all kinds of events in their life.
Nagoshi will be joined at the studio by Yakuza Producer Daisuke Sato, who will be the studio’s new Director. According to Gematsu, other ex-Yakuza developers at the studio include artist Kazuki Hosokawa, programmer Koji Tokieda, game designer Masao Shirosaki, and artist Naoki Someya, while artist Toshihiro Ando worked on the Judgment franchise. The final two founding members of the studio are director Taichi Ushioda and engineer Mitsunori Fujimoto.
In other news, Gran Turismo 7 will take up around 90GB of space when installed on a PS5 console so be sure to have plenty of room on your SSD. Elsewhere, Microsoft’s agreement to acquire Activision could start causing trouble as a US Congressman has called for the deal to be scrutinized.
