In the era of PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Japanese game developers have struggled to keep up with their Western counterparts. According to Yoko Taro, creator of the NieR series, Japanese developers are not skilled in incorporating technology from overseas due to various reasons. In an exclusive interview with IGN, Yoko Taro shared his insights on game development with Hyung-Tae Kim, creative director of Stellar Blade.
Yoko Taro highlighted the challenges faced by Japanese developers when implementing Western rendering systems. One reason for this is that they are used to creating their engines from scratch. This has resulted in a slow adoption of rendering tools and middleware from the West. Even today, many educational institutions do not teach these skills to new developers.
Despite these challenges, some Japanese developers have excelled in using Western technology. For instance, CAPCOM has successfully developed the RE Engine, which powers games such as multiple entries in the Resident Evil series, Monster Hunter Rise, Devil May Cry 5, Street Fighter 6, and Dragon’s Dogma 2. With Unreal Engine 5 now setting a new standard for visual quality, it will be fascinating to see if Japanese developers will embrace it for their future games or continue to rely on proprietary engines to maintain high standards.
In conclusion, while some Japanese developers have faced difficulties with proprietary engines like Square Enix’s Luminous Engine, others have excelled in using Western technology like CAPCOM’s RE Engine. As Unreal Engine 5 sets a new standard for visual quality, it will be interesting to see how Japanese developers adapt and incorporate this technology into their future games.