Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi launches new game studio

Dimapur, Jan. 24 (EMN): Legendary game designer Toshihiro Nagoshi, the creator of the classic Yakuza series of games, announced on Monday that he is launching a new game development studio in partnership with NetEase Games.

The new studio called Nagoshi Studio will be based in Shibuya, Tokyo and Nagoshi will act as its president and CEO.

NetEase Games hereby announces Nagoshi Studio Inc.’s establishment in Tokyo.

Despite of the constant changes in entertainment, people’s desire for fun stays the same. We'll explore potential and strive to bring game creation to the next level.
Details ➡️ https://t.co/bazTaaeO60 pic.twitter.com/mQvWcxduIY

— NetEase Games_EN (@NetEaseGames_EN) January 24, 2022

Nagoshi left Sega in February 2021 along with fellow developer Daisuke Sato and both of them joined seven other former Yakuza game developers to create the new game studio.

The other seven members of the staff include artist Kazuki Hosokawa, programmer Koji Tokieda, game designer Masao Shirosaki, Mitsunori Fujimoto, artist Naoki Someya, director Taichi Ushioda, and Toshihiro Ando.

In a post on the official Nagoshi Studio webpage, Nagoshi left a note to his fans about the new developement.

"One of my goals at this studio is to create an open atmosphere. This may sound like an overly simplistic goal. But even the most talented creators cannot fully unleash their abilities in isolation. I believe that the first step to creating high-quality titles and delivering the essence of entertainment with strong motivation starts with creating an open atmosphere in the studio," wrote Nagoshi.

"This means having open-ended discussions that ignore seniority and hierarchy. This means not fearing mistakes while also not being afraid to correct them, and treating failures as assets. This means not giving up on reaching the ideal, and fighting to get closer to it," continued Nagoshi. "This may seem so simple, but the simplest things can unexpectedly be the hardest to do, and at the same time the most important. Nagoshi Studio is committed to creating content for the world to enjoy from this atmosphere."

According to NetEase Games, Nagoshi Studio will primarily focus on "developing high-quality console titles that will be released globally."