Kenji-Matsubara
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Zynga Japan closing
As was originally suggested by Zynga CEO Mark Pincus back in October, Zynga Japan will be closing its doors as part of a company wide "Cost Reduction Plan" this January. The decision was made official by an announcement on Zynga Japan CEO Kenji Matsubara's Facebook profile, where he thanked users for playing his company's games. Three of Zynga Japan's games have already been discontinued: City builder Machitsuku, Scrabble clone Mojitomo and monster training RPG Montopia. Zynga Japan's mobile card battling game Ayakashi (available in the US as Ayakashi: Ghost Guild) will continue to operate beyond the developer's official closure at the end of January, 2013.Other branches affected by the Cost Reduction Plan include Zynga Austin, which suffered a significant reduction in staff, along with Zynga Boston, which was closed entirely.
Former Koei boss to head up Zynga Japan
Ex-Tecmo Koei head Kenji Matsubara is sheathing his sword on console gaming and headed for FarmVille, as the Japanese executive has been announced as the new CEO of Zynga Japan. After stepping down from Tecmo late last year citing "personal reasons," the Japanese game industry vet had yet to reveal his plans ... until Zynga Japan's announcement this week. "I am very pleased with the inauguration of Kenji Matsubara and his talent," current Zynga Japan head Robert Goldberg said in the company's press release. Goldberg will stay on as CEO until May 9, when Matsubara will be passed the company torch -- Goldberg will then take up a consulting role to the new CEO. And yes, as far as we can tell, that is kind of like getting paid the same to do less and have less responsibility. Hats off to you, Mr. Goldberg!
Tecmo Koei CEO quits, Koei founder steps up
If there's anyone who knows about manipulating the balance of power, it's Kou Shibusawa, who created Koei's classic war games Nobunaga's Ambition and Romance of the Three Kingdoms -- and, in fact, created Koei in 1978, in partnership with his wife. It turns out Shibusawa (real name Yoichi Erikawa) didn't need that tactical expertise to achieve the CEO position at Tecmo Koei Holdings, because he just inherited it when current CEO Kenji Matsubara left the company. According to Andriasang, Matsubara cited "personal reasons" for his departure, announced during a board meeting. Matsubara's exit coincides with the release of Tecmo Koei's earnings for the period from April 1 through September 30. The company made 11.069 billion yen in sales ($136.48 million), 27.5% lower than last year. The report noted successful releases for Metroid: Other M and Quantum Theory, and that losses were due in part to the delay of Trinity: Souls of Zill O'll, and to investments for titles coming out in the next quarter -- which includes last week's Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage.
KoTec 'very interested' in motion control for Ninja Gaiden
One of the highlights of the motion controller demo during Sony's E3 2009 press conference was a swordplay sequence that seemed to handle magnificently. Koei Tecmo must have been paying attention -- in a recent interview with Play Magazine, KoTec's Kenji Matsubara explained the developer is "very interested" in adapting the Ninja Gaiden franchise to work with the new motion sensitive peripheral.However, Matsubara explained that there are some barriers to clear before said adaptation takes place -- namely, he wants to "know how responsive it is," adding that "if you're swinging your arms around like you're using a sword you will soon be tired." Yeah, no kidding. Had the controller already been usable in one of the next-gen Gaiden titles, the games' infamously difficult Hard mode would cause the world's shoulder dislocation rate to skyrocket.[Via NowGamer]
Tecmo Koei CEO to Sony: "please cut the price" of the PS3
Activision's CEO has already gone public with his complaints about the price of the PS3, and it looks he's not alone among industry bigwigs with a bone to pick with Sony, with the CEO of the newly formed Tecmo Koei now coming out and echoing his concerns. Speaking with CVG, Tecmo Koei's Kenji Matsubara says that whenever he speaks about the issue with Sony reps, he asks them to "please cut the price" of the PS3, adding that "from a publisher's point of view we would welcome a price cut for PS3 and we are waiting, definitely." He doesn't quite go so far as pull an Activision and threaten to ditch support for the console if Sony doesn't drop the price, however, although it seems safe to assume that these complains will only grow louder -- at least until Sony actually does cut the price of the PS3, that is. [Via gamesindustry.biz]
Tecmo kindly asks for a PS3 price cut
... And for good reason, too. The company is bringing out two PS3 exclusives this year: Quantum and Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2. Considering its third-party status, Tecmo is really risking a lot by abandoning a traditional multiplatform approach."Whenever I discuss this with Sony reps I always ask them: 'Please cut the price'," Tecmo's Kenji Matsubara told CVG. "Sony introduced cutting-edge technology in the PS3, that's why people in the industry accept that the PS3 cost is so high, but we'd welcome a price cut."That's certainly a change of tone from a different third-party publisher, Activision. That company most recently made waves when it half-heartedly "threatened" to remove support for PlayStation products. In spite of the difference in approaches, it's clear that the PS3's price needs to be lowered. Not only does the customer want it, but publishers are demanding it as well.
