Tecmo Koei reaches West with social games

Facebook is the next step in Tecmo Koei’s bid to reach Western gamers.

The Japanese publisher – famous for hit franchises Dynasty Warriors, Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive – hasn’t enjoyed the same level of success in the US and Europe as it has in Japan.

But the firm now believes it can capture a global audience through social network games on Facebook and smartphones. Tecmo Koei’s Singapore studio is tasked with building these games, with its first title – JollyWood – in service now.

We want to expand our footprint globally through social games, particularly into the casual gamers markets,” commented Tecmo Koei’s senior executive director Shintaro Kobayashi.

Tecmo Koei Singapore’s general manager Raymond Wong told MCV: In making JollyWood, we at Tecmo Koei wanted to encapsulate a common denomination that straddled across a global audience.

We were definitely aware that the Western consumers would pick up and help proliferate these games faster due to their social networking behaviour.

We are also hoping that the Western consumers would give us more direct feedback, enabling us to improve and modify JollyWood even better.”

However, it’s not all about Facebook. The Singapore studio is working on titles for smartphones, while games based on hit franchises like Dynasty Warriors, Ninja Gaiden or Dead or Alive are currently being considered.

Wong added: We do have legions of fans of those franchises who would not mind trying something different. We will definitely be challenging ourselves to provide an entertaining experience in this arena.”