Lost Planet

To finish off my string of exclusive developer interviews with a bang, I bring you my conversation with none other than Mr. Keiji Inafune himself. He’s been at Capcom for 20 years. His very first creation at Capcom was Mega Man, or Rock Man in Japan (which means Mega Man is 20 years old this year!), and he has continued to make hit after hit. He is now higher up in the food chain at Capcom, and for Lost Planet he acted as Executive Producer.

Below is my interview with Inafune-san, conducted over lunch on the day of the Lost Planet launch event.

[Brian] Do you have any goals or New Year’s resolutions for 2007?

[Keiji Inafune] Yeah, overall for Capcom, since I’m working more on managing development overall rather than being too hands-on with any particular title, my goal for this year is basically to improve the working conditions for all our talented development staff.

[More:]

[Inafune] It used to be that we thought about the end user, put the gamers above all else. But that’s changing, the market is changing. Our developers, all the people that make the games, work extremely hard. But I’ve come to see that unless we improve the work life balance for all the talented individuals making the games under crazy hours, it wont be very rewarding for the people making the games.

That’s something that I think needs to change. And now that I am in a position where I can affect change, I feel I have to do whatever I can. Of course that would make it better for the individuals making the games day in and day out, but I think that the better the environment is, the more balance there is in the quality of life, the higher the quality of the finished games will get. And that benefits the end users as well, because the games will turn out better. So that’s what I want to focus on this year.

[Brian] What was your favorite movie from last year?

[Inafune] That’s tough. I have like zero time to even go to the theater nowadays.

[Brian] I mean, even movies you’ve watched on DVD at home.

[Inafune] It’s not a movie, but I was able to catch up a bit on 24 last year. I got a chance to watch seasons 3 & 4. I didn’t get to see a whole lot of movies, but one movie that stuck with me was “Inside Man,” the Spike Lee movie. For a Spike Lee movie, I thought it was really easy to watch, and was a lot more mainstream, if you will, than his other movies. And I loved the big twist, that moment you go “Aha!” and you realize why the movie’s called “Inside Man.”

[Brian] Cool. Okay, moving on, what’s your favorite American food? Is there something you like to eat every time you visit the states, something that you can’t get in Japan, or just doesn’t taste the same in Japan?

[Inafune] Actually, since I’m over here so much, I usually end up eating a lot of Chinese or Japanese food when I visit the US. I don’t really like “American” American food that much, to be honest. So much American food is just about the meat, big slabs of steak or whatever, rather than the meat being one ingredient or one part of the meal. That being said, I do like American fast food, especially hamburgers. But I try to go places we don’t have in Japan. Of course in Japan we have McDonald’s, and we even have some Carl’s Jr. restaurants. So whenever I come to America, I try to go to places I can’t go to in Japan, like Burger King or In-N-Out.

[Brian] So you’re not really into meat for the sake of eating meat that much, but you have a weak spot for hamburgers.

[Inafune] Exactly. But even then, a lot of the hamburgers in America are big, like half meat. Like those Six-Dollar burgers. Who needs a burger that big? Haha.

[Brian] I know what you mean. So, is there anything you have in the back of your mind that you want to do, or accomplish, before you get too old or before you die? Like climbing Mt. Everest, or writing a novel or something?

[Inafune] Yeah. I take a lot of business trips and visit a lot of countries. But there’s one country I haven’t been to yet that I would love to visit. I’d love to see Egypt. But that region isn’t too stable right now, not too safe, so you know… But before I die, I really want a chance to go to Egypt, see the pyramids up close.

[Brian] Going back in time a bit, when did you first join Capcom? And at the time, was there anything else you were considering doing besides video games? Had you not been hired by Capcom, would you have gone down a completely different career path, or do you think you would have still ended up in video games?

[Inafune] I first joined Capcom in 1987. At the time I didn’t want to work at Capcom because I wanted to make video games per se. Basically I just wanted to draw. I joined the company as a graphic designer. If I could have become anything I wanted, I wanted to be a famous manga (comic) artist. I wanted to think up stories, draw the stories through pictures, and share that with other people. But it’s really hard to be successful as a manga artist. But now, looking back over my career, I think I’m much more satisfied with what I’ve been able to accomplish with video games, with what I’ve created over the years, more so than I would be now if I had just been writing comics all these years. I’m glad I ended up at Capcom, making games.

[Brian] So had you not got the job at Capcom, today you might be Keiji Inafune the famous manga artist, rather than Keiji Inafune, godfather of video games.

[Inafune] Yeah, if things went differently back then. Haha.

[Brian] What kind of stories did you want to tell through comics? I know there are lots of genres in Japan, like action, sports, love, drama…

[Inafune] I wanted to do it all, sci-fi, comedy, stuff for kids, kind of like I was able to do with video games. I didn’t want to limit myself to one style or one genre. I wanted the freedom to be inspired by something and put that on paper. But I’ve been able to do a lot of that through video games anyway.

[Brian] Did you grow up drawing all the time, as a hobby? Did you study at a special art school?

[Inafune] It wasn’t since I was born per se, but ever since I can remember back when I was a kid, maybe 2 or 3 years old, I always had paper and a pencil. I was always drawing. I think my mother had me draw to keep me from getting into trouble around the house or whatever. So I had been drawing from a very young age because there was always paper and pencils around the house for me to draw with. Then when I graduated from high school, I went to a special art school and studied graphic design. But just on my own, I’d draw and doodle, or copy the art of manga artists I liked for fun. Thinking about it now, it kind of makes me sad that I don’t have more time to just pick up a pencil and draw.

[Brian] I see. So, Lost Planet is about to ship in the US, with a ton of pre-orders and sales expected to go crazy. Looking back on the development of the title, at what point did you realize, or get a feeling, that Lost Planet would turn into this huge new game for Capcom?

[Inafune] The idea for Lost Planet first came up about 3~4 years ago. I think even back then, somewhere deep inside I knew Lost Planet would be big. But as a creator, when you set out to make a game, you have to be confident that what you’re making will be good, or the project will never get off the ground. So back then, I knew it had potential. I knew it had elements that would appeal to both Japanese and US gamers. And the game had a deep back story, a very cool setting. I was excited about making a game out of the initial concept.

I was really into Halo at the time, and I wanted to make a game of that caliber. Personally I think we got pretty close to that goal. But at that point when the idea for the game was conceived and the company got behind the idea, I had to be sure that it was going to be good. And I was sure.

[Brian] It seems like Lost Planet is being received very well in Japan, judging from the number of Japanese players I see online. And of course it’s turning into a big hit in the US and Europe as well. In your opinion, what is it about the game that appeals to gamers from such a wide spectrum, where normally games like this are popular in Japan or the west but usually not both?

[Inafune] I guess, with just straight-up shooter games, which are of course more popular in the west, a lot of Japanese gamers find something lacking. Like it’s boring to just run around and shoot bad guys or whatever. But with Lost Planet, we’ve put in a lot of action gaming elements, like with the anchor, the grappling hook.

Plus nowadays there are a lot of shooters where you spend most of the time sneaking around, hiding and shooting from behind cover. But Lost Planet takes it back to the kind of gameplay where you’re always on the run, where you have to constantly move forward and shoot more and more enemies. I think that adds enough of that Japanese gameplay flavor to make it appealing to gamers in Japan as well as the west. So when they pick it up, they may be apprehensive about it because it’s a shooter, but the action elements and the more traditional Japanese gameplay style is easier for them to get into.

Even though we weren’t purposely trying to make a game that Japanese gamers would like, we are Japanese so when we made the game it evolved that way naturally. I’m glad that happened, because it’s nice to also have Japanese players getting into the game and into shooters. And if Lost Planet acts like a stepping stone and leads more Japanese gamers to try out great games like Halo and Gears of War, I would be extremely happy.

[Brian] Nowadays in the video game industry, it seems like a lot of companies are trying to play it safe, with sequels and licensed titles, avoiding risky titles or new IPs. But Capcom has done Dead Rising, Lost Planet, as well as titles for other platforms like the Phoenix Wright series, showing that Capcom isnt afraid of trying something new despite the risk involved. At first they may have been apprehensive about Lost Planet, but I’m sure the higher-ups at Capcom Japan are now glad they ok’ed Lost Planet. Was it difficult getting the okay from management for such a risky title as Lost Planet, it being a brand new IP and all?

[Inafune] Yes, with both Dead Rising and Lost Planet, management initially was very much against developing the games. Actually for a while there we were practically on the verge of having the projects cancelled. But I knew that Capcom just had to follow through with these titles, that the company needed them. So over the course of several months, I did my best to convince the decision-makers that these games have what it takes to succeed, to be hits and make money for the company. There was a time when I considered giving up on these two games, but I’m really glad I stuck with them and convinced management to let us make the games.

But looking at it from management’s perspective, this is the (Xbox) 360 we’re talking about, in Japan. So there’s that. Plus, being next-gen means development’s not going to be cheap by any means. It’s a very big investment for a company. So I guess it’s only natural that they would be apprehensive about okaying the games, both Lost Planet and Dead Rising. But as a game creator, if you can’t convince them to take those kinds of risks, you’ll never be able to make any good games. I think part of making games, part of being a game creator, is convincing the right people that what you’re doing is going to succeed and make money for the company. Plus, now I can use this to my advantage next time, like, “See, you can trust me. I know what I’m talking about here.”

[Brian] I see.

[Inafune] So right now, if Dead Rising and Lost Planet had turned out to be big duds, I dont know… I guess, you know, it’s kind of the same way every time I make a game. It was like this for Onimusha as well. But I was prepared to take responsibility if a title I had stood behind and pushed so fervently didn’t succeed. But with Dead Rising and Lost Planet, at the beginning I was thinking in the back of my mind that if I couldn’t make these two games succeed, I should just quit the industry. But they’re doing great, and I couldn’t be prouder.

Just know that I’m not stopping there, now that Lost Planet’s out the door. There are more titles like this in store for fans: risky, challenging games, with a lot riding on them.

[Brian] Great. Okay, five years from now, when we look back on right now, what will Lost Planet mean in the scope of the history of Capcom?

[Inafune] Just like Street Fighter II marked a milestone, or a transition in Capcom’s history, and like Resident Evil did when it first came out, I think Lost Planet, along with Dead Rising last year, mark new milestones, the beginning of a new era at Capcom.

First, Street Fighter II ushered in a new era for Capcom, and it happened again when we released the first Resident Evil. I think this, Dead Rising and Lost Planet, is the third big milestone in Capcom’s history. And part of that comes from what Dead Rising and Lost Planet represent. As you know, the Japanese market isn’t what it used to be. Capcom is shifting its focus, for at least a portion of our titles, over to the US and European markets. I think Dead Rising and Lost Planet have helped established Capcom not just as a Japanese developer, but as a developer that is on par with, and that can compete with, the top developers in the US. That’s what I think Lost Planet, combined with the release of Dead Rising last year, represents within the scope of Capcom’s history.

[Brian] Very good. Okay, last question here. In the past Japanese developers were considered the best in the world, with virtually every hit game coming out of Japan. But now the tables have turned, and the west is leading the industry. Considering this, what do you think Japanese developers can learn from western developers? And what do you think western developers can learn from Japanese developers?

[Inafune] I think it’s very clear that now, yes, western developers are leading the industry, with Japanese developers falling behind. But I dont know how many Japanese developers have accepted this, to be honest. There could be some that think Japan’s developers are still on top. But personally I think Japan has fallen behind. And when you’ve fallen behind, you’re the underdog and you have to try even harder. We have to think about what we can learn from, what we can borrow from, western developers.

But that being said, I think Japanese companies still have those qualities that made them great in the first place. We have to preserve what helped us lead the industry back then, and learn more from western developers.

Like I mentioned earlier, one thing that Japanese developers need to learn from US developers is what kind of environment and quality of life is needed for the men and women doing the art, programming, sound, all the stuff that goes into making the games. Overall it is extremely challenging in Japan. I think Americans would be surprised to see how things are done overall in Japan. Japanese game creators, overall, work like crazy to make these games. Other industries are like this as well in Japan, like the animation industry. And they usually receive quite modest compensation. If that doesn’t change soon, the people making the games will stop dreaming, you know. And kids growing up will think twice about getting into video games as a career. It’s hurting the industry.

In America, you work hard for that “American Dream,” your work pays off, you buy that house, whatever. It’s much more rewarding.

But at the same time, in America you sometimes have people that make games, they become hits, and the people that make those games can sometimes let the success go to their heads.

I think Japanese developers should maintain that quality, where they don’t get big egos when their games become hits, and just work on improving the quality of life of the talented individuals making the actual games.

I think western developers really have great imaginations, just a ton of creativity and great ideas. But where I think Japan overall has other developers beat is in the planning, attention to detail, as well as our diligence, hard work and sacrifice. I think at Capcom if we can preserve that quality about us, and work on the things I just mentioned, just put the priority on the creators and their quality of life, put them first, then I think we can really turn things around in Japan.

That concludes the very last interview for Lost Planet. But I still have more content in the works, so this Lost Planet blog isn’t dead yet.

BTW, feel free to leave a comment for me below this. I love hearing from you guys and gals.

—Brian