Namco Bandai’s Makoto Iwai: each console is strong at the moment

Recently promoted Makoto Iwai, Executive Vice President and Chief Operation Officer at Namco Bandai Games America, recently had a talk with GameDaily.biz about the publisher’s recent merger and its strategy when it comes to Japanese and Western Markets.

The interview does get a bit lengthy and delves a bit too much into business matters but there are a few gems in it that us game-oriented folk can appreciate.

When asked if Namco bandai is looking towards making their games more West-friendly (like Sega and Capcom are), Iwai responds by saying that Namco Bandai has always been looking towards the West when it comes to title development. He says that their Tekken and SoulCalibur franchises have always resonated well with the Western audience.

He says that while they’ve begun to use Western developers to create more titles for the Western audience, he emphasizes that becoming a global competitor means that you need to have products that have a global appeal.

When asked what he thinks about the Wii he says that he believes that the Wii will not only reinvigorate their franchises but also that the console will give them an opportunity to come up with new and original IPs that will utilize the Wiimote.

As for Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony‘s PS3, He says that Namco Bandai will continue to support both consoles in 2007 and beyond. He says that he feels that each console is strong at the moment and they plan to create games for all three.

For the complete interview feel free to use our read link below.

Recently promoted Makoto Iwai, Executive Vice President and Chief Operation Officer at Namco Bandai Games America, recently had a talk with GameDaily.biz about the publisher’s recent merger and its strategy when it comes to Japanese and Western Markets.

The interview does get a bit lengthy and delves a bit too much into business matters but there are a few gems in it that us game-oriented folk can appreciate.

When asked if Namco bandai is looking towards making their games more West-friendly (like Sega and Capcom are), Iwai responds by saying that Namco Bandai has always been looking towards the West when it comes to title development. He says that their Tekken and SoulCalibur franchises have always resonated well with the Western audience.

He says that while they’ve begun to use Western developers to create more titles for the Western audience, he emphasizes that becoming a global competitor means that you need to have products that have a global appeal.

When asked what he thinks about the Wii he says that he believes that the Wii will not only reinvigorate their franchises but also that the console will give them an opportunity to come up with new and original IPs that will utilize the Wiimote.

As for Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony‘s PS3, He says that Namco Bandai will continue to support both consoles in 2007 and beyond. He says that he feels that each console is strong at the moment and they plan to create games for all three.

For the complete interview feel free to use our read link below.