There are more video games than ever being released pretty much every week these days, making discoverability more of an issue than ever before. Yet, even in the midst of an avalanche of releases and high-cost AAA titles, publishers like NIS (Nippon Ichi Software) America have found success by focusing on smaller, niche experiences. It’s a strategy that’s seemingly working for the studio, emphasizing bringing odd little Japanese games to the West.
Just this year has seen the likes of Disgaea Mayhem, Brigandine Abyss, Etrange Overlord, Starbites, and the latest entry in the increasingly beloved Trails series, Trails Beyond the Horizon. At PAX West, we had the chance to sit down with NIS president Kenzo Saruhashi, who’s now also taking on the role of head of NIS America — to talk about how the company has adjusted to the troubles of the Western game industry, the importance of series like Trails, and more.
NIS has seemingly been investing in a lot of smaller, more unique games lately – from Etrange Overlord to Starbites and Village in the Shade. For a publisher like NIS, how important is a diverse portfolio? Why have you been investing in smaller games?
Saruhashi: Etrange Overlord and Starbites, those are more like licensed titles that we work with our external partners on. While Village in the Shade is what we consider first-party titles. So they do have a bit of a different significance.
When it comes to licensed titles, it’s more about finding titles we consider high quality in Japan and then introducing these interesting titles to a North American audience – that is our priority. But when it comes to new software, first-party titles like Village in the Shade, we’re always trying new things and trying to develop new ideas, because we know we have to adapt to survive in this market that’s changing very quickly.
Talking about licensed titles, the Trails series has become incredibly popular in the West in recent years. I’m curious, how important has your work on the Trails series been, and do you view your relationship with Falcom as an important piece of NIS’ future?
Saruhashi: Definitely, the relationship with Nihon Falcom is very, very important to us. And NIS America handles both licensed and first-party titles, as we discussed. Among those, Trails is one of the most important licenses because they really trust us with their IP. So we would like to continue that relationship.
If NIS is known for anything, it’s arguably the Disgaea franchise. Why do you think Disgaea has remained so popular? And with the 25th anniversary coming up, are you planning on celebrating it in any particular way?
Saruhashi: One reason, of course, is that we have an enduring fandom that’s very loyal and has been supporting the series for a long time. But, moreover, the Disgaea dev team really injects a lot of their own personality and aesthetics into it – that’s why I think it’s remained popular.
We can’t say exactly what yet, but we are preparing a surprise that we hope the fans will really enjoy.
For localization, you obviously want quality localizations, but with your games, like Trails, you also want to make sure fans aren’t waiting years for the game to come out. How do you balance quality and speed with localization?
Saruhashi: As you said, of course, we really want to deliver games to the players as soon as possible, because we don’t want the Western audience to feel like they are behind the Japanese audience. But it is important to us to maintain the quality, which is why Ys VIII was a pretty big lesson for us on where to improve.
Over the last few years, the game industry in the West has been hit hard in terms of layoffs, cancellations, and studio closures. As a company focused on bringing Japanese games to the West, has the state of the industry affected you in any way, or your strategy?
Saruhashi: Just like other game makers, we are facing many of the same difficulties. Especially as a publisher that has internal development functions and teams. We’re definitely trying to adapt right now, and it’s not easy. We’ve had to adjust our strategies.
Remasters and remakes have become a crucial part of gaming. And you even recently announced one with Astonishia Story. How do you view remakes and remasters for NIS? Do you think they’re valuable?
Saruhashi: It doesn’t just apply to games, but also other forms of entertainment as well. As the history of entertainment industries go on, the old legends stay good. The IPs are still good. But there are new generations of people who haven’t encountered these yet. So, to us, we think it’s a trend that’s going to continue to bring in players.
NIS has put a particular focus on a lot of physical products and collector’s editions. In light of Sony and PlayStation stopping production of physical discs, do you see that affecting how you produce limited editions at all? Or do you see it as an opportunity?
Saruhashi: We know fans really enjoy the Limited Editions that NIS America makes, and our intention is to continue to provide this. As for the disc thing with Sony, we don’t know what exactly plans are going forward. So I can’t necessarily say this is going to replace that. But we still want to continue providing that satisfaction for the fans who want to have something there.
When I talk to a lot of developers, I often hear that discoverability is one of the major issues. And looking at NIS, a lot of the games you produce or make could be considered “niche.” I’m curious how you approach that idea of discoverability? Do you see that niche as an opportunity?
Saruhashi: There are so many games coming out now that it’s pretty hard to find a title that you like. And when it comes to NIS games, we do consider being called “niche” or “edgy.” It’s an advantage for us, because it means that we have qualities that other games don’t have. We can continue to push those ideas to make a statement.
