Acquire President Talks About Why They Stopped Making Feudal Japanese Games Like Tenchu

In this week of Famitsu, there was a feature on year-end talks with 119 developers, and among them was Acquire’s president and executive producer, Takuma Endou. Titled with the keyword ‘Announcing something “impressive” for Acquire’s 25th anniversary’, it goes over Endou’s thoughts on Octopath Traveler’s success as well.

Here’s the full post below:

Takuma Endou

Keyword for 2019: Announcing something “impressive” for Acquire’s 25th anniversary.

Takuma Endou: “Octopath Traveler is the first million-seller title [for us] since Tenchu 20 years ago. Like I thought, 20 years is way too long, so I’d like us to become able to make more popular titles at a more regular pace. Furthermore, we’d like to make not only big titles, but also indie-esque experimental games at the same time. If we can do both, that would be quite spendid.”

Recent report: “There’s a small product I’m making myself. Because I’m doing that alongside my other work, progress has been extremely slow, so if in 2019 I can make it into a prototype…”

Entertainment or other things to pay attention to in 2019: “Ghost of Tsushima. In the past, we noticed that our “feudal Japanese” titles were beginning to sell poorly, and as it slowly became the age of social games, we decided to withdraw from making “feudal Japanese” games. However, when I see Ghost of Tsushima, I see the possibility that “feudal Japanese” titles could work even in the current age if you give enough budget and make a solid game, and I admire them for that. Because they may realize what we couldn’t, what we wanted to do, and what we couldn’t bear. It’s regrettable for us, but I give my support to them.”

Octopath Traveler is available on Nintendo Switch.