Natsume is a developer and publisher in Japan. In North America they are only known as a family friendly publisher. However, Hiro Maekawa, President and CEO of Natsume’s US subsidiary, has dreams of making games, ballroom dancing games. He teamed up with Cave, notable for bullet hell shooters, to create Princess Debut. The Nintendo DS game is one part Elite Beat Agents with rhythm based touch & drag controls and one part dating sim where you try to find the Prince of your dreams. All of the game’s dancing was done with motion capture and you can replay the sequences to learn steps.
While Natsume USA is obviously located in the USA, California to be more specific, the publisher often partners with developers in Japan. Puzzle de Harvest Moon was also an idea from Natsume USA which was passed on to Platinum Egg for development. Oh, and there will be a sequel to Puzzle de Harvest Moon. Platinum Egg is already working on it.
I asked Graham Markay, Senior Director of Operations, if they were looking at digital distribution as another outlet for their creations. Markay mentioned they are looking at the possibilities of WiiWare, PlayStation Network, and even downloadable PSP games. It sounds like they are seriously considering the possibilities since Natsume USA is looking at building on a successful franchise and something new. Puzzle de Harvest Moon WiiWare anyone?
Images courtesy of Natsume.
