The video chronicles a day when Matsushita worked in the studio, while openly describing his brief history in the industry, as well as how he feels about his work environment and aspirations working on the upcoming action-adventure game. cutting head. There are fragments of images in development of cutting head.
Download the full video and transcript below.
I would like more younger people to join our team. There are a lot of industry veterans right now. Because they have had success in the past, the way they think is certainly convincing. I believe that’s important, but with time there are newer ways of approaching things. That’s why I believe we need an environment where these new ideas can flow.
My name is Tatsuya Matsushita, I work at Bokeh Game Studio. I am a programmer, mainly responsible for player actions. The reason I joined the industry is the game Monkey Escape 2, which I used to play in elementary school. I remember looking at the credits after playing and thinking I’d like to see my name there someday. That thought grew stronger as I got older. Wanting to join the industry, I decided to study computer science. This is how I started working in games.
I joined Sony Interactive Entertainment in 2017, after my Master’s Degree. I joined Sony Interactive Entertainment’s JAPAN Studio. After a six-month training period, I was assigned to a project. However, that project was frozen after working on it for two and a half years. Unfortunately it was never released.
After that, I spent about a year at Sony Interactive Entertainment, wondering about my future. I started looking for another job and met a few other companies. At that point, my superior, Nakamura, currently technical director at Bokeh, approached me. He told me that Keiichiro Toyama was setting up a studio and invited me to join. I hesitated for a moment, but then I decided to enter Bokeh Game Studio. At the time I really doubted whether I should participate or not. What convinced me was that I wanted to spend more time with people from JAPAN Studio. I wanted to be able to work on a new original title all the way up to release. I joined the team with the goal of getting into the credits.
When I first heard about the concept of the game, it felt a bit like a JAPAN Studio game. My first impression was that I was happy to participate. I was drawn to the game’s brand new mechanics, so I was happy to work on this title.
The game takes place in a fictional Hong Kong. As it turned out, I had just traveled there before coming to Bokeh. The city has something really special, it is a mixture of cultures. The fact that the match took place there appealed to me again.
We start with a morning meeting in which everyone participates. Everyone shares what they did the day before and what they plan to do that day. This is also a good place to share announcements with everyone.
Then we have a meeting with the game design team. We check the deployments done the day before. We also discuss the plan for the day and sync on topics to discuss later. It goes deeper than all hands, we focus on topics to advance the game, such as action or cutscenes. Then we communicate about these aspects.
I believe that horror and action don’t always go together. The fact that you can use action to defeat enemies means you have the necessary power to do so. I was a little concerned because I felt that this could reduce the level of horror in some way. Still, lately I feel like we’re free to modify the game as we please. Action and horror parts can be clearly separated from each other. Depending on the situation, you may have a balance that leans towards one of the other. I thought this would enable a game where both can shine. Since Toyama is lagging SIREN, many people have strong expectations on the horror side. Still, I think there are plenty of action clubs as well. We also want to be able to satisfy these players.
I believe it is a difficult task to create a new game with original aspects. There are many hurdles and things that we worry about. I’m worried about the progress of the game at some points, but the core of the concept is solid, so I believe if we keep following that, we’ll make it.
In the afternoon I concentrate on talking to people. I spend an hour commuting to the studio, so two hours back and forth, which is why I always talk to people when I come here. I talk a lot with Miyake, who is responsible for the animations of players. He often shares his suggestions, sometimes I tell him some of my ideas in animation. I like that we can just exchange advice and keep the ball rolling. I will definitely come to the studio for important discussions, because it is better to talk in person. That’s why I like this environment where I can come to the studio once or twice a week.
What I’m concerned about is the amount of content. The size of the project, compared to our resources, schedule or budget. I feel like it’s a bit off balance right now, it’s pretty tight at the moment in my opinion. Our management is of course aware of that, I believe they are thinking about how we can land on our feet. Still, they don’t necessarily make these decisions all by themselves. They actively ask for our opinion and take it into account. I can feel comfortable sharing my thoughts because I know they are listening. I feel grateful for that.
cutting head is the second project I’m working on. Since my first project was cancelled, I still haven’t had a chance to work on a game before it comes out. I struggle with that, so I really want to be able to launch my career and release as many games as possible. My first priority is to work properly on cutting head to completion. Moreover, I want to be able to stand in the process as a good programmer.
I’m still thinking about the future, but I believe I have multiple choices. I initially got into the industry because I wanted to make games. That doesn’t necessarily mean being a programmer, so I want to keep a broad perspective on the future titles I’m working on. In recent years I have the feeling that in the future, in about ten years, I want to become a director. I’m already preparing for that. I hope one day to be able to release my own game as a director.
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